Samsung Heavy wins design approval for liquefied hydrogen carrier

South Korean shipbuilding major Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has received ABS approval in principle (AIP) for the design of a 20,000 cbm liquefied hydrogen carrier.

The AIP, which was presented at the Gastech conference, is the culmination of a joint development project (JDP) to review and prove various elements of the vessel design including Type C cargo tanks, cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems.

“As the hydrogen value chain develops, shipping will have a critical role to play. By supporting the safe and efficient transport of hydrogen at sea, ABS is also playing an important part in the energy transition,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology.

“SHI has secured key technologies for the design of liquefied hydrogen carriers from recent development projects and is preparing for the future liquefied hydrogen carrier market through detailed design development and verifications,” said Young-Gyu Kang, SHI Executive Vice President, CTO.

It has been a busy week for shipbuilders and classification societies as major industry events, SMM and Gastech, have been used to showcase innovative ship designs set to burn ammonia, hydrogen, or capture carbon onboard. The myriad of technological breakthroughs on display points to an accelerating push within the sector to come up with solutions that will help decarbonize shipping.

SHI has also secured approval in principle from the compatriot classification society Korean Register (KR) for the design of an ammonia-fuel-ready very large gas carrier (VLGC). The VLGC will be capable of using ammonia as a fuel as well as carrying it as bulk cargo.

In a separate announcement, ABS revealed that it had awarded AIP to Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) for its design of cargo tanks on board super-large, liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers.

The cargo tank of approximately 15,000 cbm will be mounted on a 100,000 cbm LCO2 carrier and is designed for operational efficiency in a vertical asymmetric structure to maximize the loading weight, so enough space can be provided to install LNG propulsion engines and carbon capture devices for future vessel designs.

“If carbon value chains are to continue to mature globally, safe and efficient carbon transport is going to prove key, as is carbon capture. This project is noteworthy for the way it not only advances CO₂ transport with its introduction of significant capacity but allows for the introduction of carbon capture on board, which may prove to be a critical technology in the energy transition,” said Ryan.

“We plan to develop new materials for LCO2 carrier cargo tanks and develop new ship designs that can increase ship owners’ operational efficiency, and we expect to maintain DSME’s overwhelming technology in the LCO2 carrier sector, which is a major concern of the carbon capture market,” said Jun-Lyoung Seo, DSME Executive Vice President and Head of Engineering and Technology Unit.