Korea Shipbuilding Opens German Europe R&D Center to Secure Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Ship Technology

Development of Next-Generation Ship Technologies Including Hydrogen and Ammonia

Heo Seungjae (fourth from the left), Consul General at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Germany, Kim Seongjun, Vice President and Head of the Future Technology Research Institute at Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Jakob Andert, Professor at the Institute of Propulsion Systems, RWTH Aachen University, along with other officials, are posing for a commemorative photo at the opening ceremony of the Europe R&D Center in D?sseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Hyundai Heavy Industries recently held an opening ceremony for its European Research and Development (R&D) Center in D?sseldorf, Germany, the company announced on the 12th.

The European R&D Center plans to collaborate with global research institutions to develop next-generation ship technologies such as hydrogen, fuel cells, ammonia, and electric propulsion. It will also expand its technology cooperation network with major European countries including the United Kingdom and Norway.

Following the opening ceremony, Hyundai Heavy Industries held a presentation for joint research on next-generation propulsion systems for large ships utilizing eco-friendly energy sources such as hydrogen and ammonia with RWTH Aachen University in Germany. The two institutions signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for research cooperation in December last year.

In addition, Hyundai Heavy Industries is continuing discussions on technology cooperation with European research institutions leading in hydrogen and fuel cell fields, including the Institute of Shipping Energy Systems under the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which conducts research in the ship energy sector.

Jakob Andert, professor at the Propulsion Systems Research Institute of RWTH Aachen University, said, "This collaboration will be an important starting point in envisioning the future of Hyundai Heavy Industries' independent ship propulsion systems."

A Hyundai Heavy Industries official also explained, "We plan to expand our global R&D infrastructure by discovering top local Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and excellent researchers at the European R&D Center."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.