HHI’s 40,000 cbm LCO2 carrier secures AIP from DNV, LISCR

Classification society DNV and the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) have awarded approval in principle (AiP) to South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and its parent company Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CO. (KSOE) for a new 40,000 cbm liquified CO2 carrier design.

The handover of the AiP certificate took place during the Gastech trade fair in Dubai.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is gaining traction as a technology to reduce the impact of CO2 emissions. Maritime transport will play an essential role in the CCS value chain, which is expected to lead to increasing demand for liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carriers.

HHI’s and KSOE’s 40,000 cbm LCO2 carrier design is said to be a milestone in this emerging vessel segment. The new design would be the largest in its class, with current carriers limited to less than 2,000 cbm.

The 40,000 cbm class LCO2 carrier is 239 meters long, 30 meters wide, and has a depth of 21 meters. The vessel will be equipped with seven IMO type-C cargo tanks with a total capacity of 40,000 cbm. It is designed to carry LCO2 cargo only, but multi-cargoes such as LPG or ammonia can also be considered.

“Obtaining the AiP for this innovative large scale LCO2 carrier is a meaningful technological milestone. We believe our self-developed LCO2 carrier will contribute to global decarbonization efforts by providing tailor-made designs according to each ship owner’s specific requirements,” Won-Ho Joo, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at HHI, commented.

“This is a ground-breaking project that is key to meeting the maritime industry’s greater goals of energy efficiency and decarbonization. I am proud to have had Liberia working so closely alongside our partners at DNV and HHI on this project,” Alfonso Castillero, Chief Operating Officer of LISCR, said.

“This project will be very important for the design and capabilities of the LCO2 fleet of the future. We are pleased to be at the forefront of this development,” Thomas Klenum, Senior Vice President of Maritime Operations, who led LISCR’s review and approval process, pointed out.

Also at Gastech 2021, KSOE and its unit Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) won AIP for LCO2 carrier designs.