Hyundai Heavy Industries Receives Basic Certification for Eco-Friendly Ammonia Fuel System

Commercialization Speed of Ammonia-Powered Ships Emitting No Carbon Dioxide

On the 2nd, the basic certification ceremony for the concept design of the ammonia fuel supply system was held at the Southeast Headquarters of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology in Busan.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Hyundai Heavy Industries Group announced on the 3rd that Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries have received Approval in Principle (AIP) for the ammonia fuel supply system concept design from Korean Register (KR).

Ammonia is considered a next-generation eco-friendly fuel as it does not emit carbon dioxide during combustion. This is the first time in the industry that a fuel supply system, a core technology for ammonia fuel propulsion, has been developed and certified.

The fuel supply system developed by the company utilizes naturally occurring ammonia vapor during navigation to eliminate nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases, and the remaining vapor is used as engine fuel, making it a highly efficient eco-friendly facility. For safety, it is equipped with a dual leak prevention gas treatment system that completely blocks even very small amounts of ammonia from leaking outside.

Ammonia-powered ships are attracting market attention as they must reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 70% to meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) environmental regulations. However, due to its molecular structure containing nitrogen, the emission of harmful nitrogen oxides has been a challenge to overcome. With the system developed by Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, nitrogen oxides can be significantly reduced to meet IMO regulations (Tier 3).

The company previously received basic design certification for an ammonia-powered ultra-large tanker from the Norwegian Classification Society last year, and this year has been actively pursuing ammonia ship commercialization by forming consortia and participating in consultative bodies. Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering recently established an ammonia dual leak prevention demonstration facility at the Southeast Headquarters of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology in Busan, where it plans to utilize data collected from testing various scenarios during ship operation for the development of ammonia-powered ships.

A representative from Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said, "With this technological development, we have taken a step closer to the commercialization of ammonia-powered ships," adding, "We will also accelerate the development of zero-carbon eco-friendly ships such as electric and hydrogen-powered vessels."

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