Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Doosan, Shell, and Others to Launch Fuel Cell Large Ship Demonstration

Shell, Doosan Fuel Cell, HiAxium, etc.
Form Consortium for Ship Fuel Cell Demonstration
Ship SOFC to Be Installed on Ultra-Large LNG Carrier in 2025

On the 11th, at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, (from left) Vidal Dolonen, DNV Korea Representative; Ga Samhyun, Vice Chairman of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering; Carrie Traus, Senior Vice President of Shell; Jeong Hyeongrak, President of Doosan Fuel Cell and HiAxium; and Jehu Seok, Vice President of Doosan Fuel Cell, took a commemorative photo after signing the main contract for the 'Consortium for Demonstration of Fuel Cells for Ships.' Photo by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Doosan Fuel Cell

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Hyundai Heavy Industries Group and Doosan Group are launching a demonstration project to apply fuel cells, recognized as the next-generation energy source, to large ships.

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), the shipbuilding holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, announced on the 11th that it signed the main contract for the "Consortium for Ship Fuel Cell Demonstration" with global energy company Shell, Doosan Fuel Cell, Doosan subsidiary HiAxium, and DNV at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The signing ceremony was attended by key officials from each company, including Ga Samhyun, Vice Chairman of KSOE, Kim Seongjun, Director of the Future Technology Research Institute, Jung Hyungrak, President of Doosan Fuel Cell and HiAxium, Carrie Traus, Senior Vice President of Shell, and Vidal Dolonen, Korea-Japan Representative of DNV.

Under this contract, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group will install a 600KW high-efficiency Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) on a 174,000㎥ LNG carrier operated by Shell starting in 2025 to generate electric power. Based on this, they plan to develop and supply high-efficiency eco-friendly ships that can apply fuel cells as the main propulsion power source in the long term.

This ship will use the fuel cell as an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) and conduct a one-year demonstration on actual trade routes.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group will leverage its 50 years of ship design and construction experience to handle the construction of the demonstration ship, layout design and installation of shipboard SOFC, and ship system integration work.

Doosan Fuel Cell will be responsible for ▲supplying SOFC core components such as stacks ▲providing shipboard SOFC systems ▲supporting shipboard SOFC services, while HiAxium will handle ▲SOFC system development ▲APU design and supply.

Shell will manage ▲ordering and overseeing the demonstration ship ▲operating the demonstration ship ▲overall management of the shipboard SOFC demonstration project, and KSOE will perform ▲demonstration ship construction ▲installation of shipboard SOFC ▲modification and integration of ship systems. DNV will conduct drawing approvals and equipment inspections for the demonstration ship and issue classification certificates.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced environmental regulations aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels to curb emissions in the shipping industry. Accordingly, the shipping industry is paying great attention to next-generation ships that apply high-efficiency fuel economy innovation systems such as fuel cells, along with eco-friendly energy sources like LNG, hydrogen, and ammonia.

Ga Samhyun, Vice Chairman of KSOE, said, "The shipbuilding and shipping industries are rapidly innovating under the two pillars of eco-friendliness and digitalization," adding, "Through this fuel cell ship demonstration, we expect to secure next-generation eco-friendly ship technology and accelerate marine decarbonization."

Jung Hyungrak, President of Doosan Fuel Cell, said, "By applying Doosan's mid-to-low temperature SOFC, which has higher power efficiency and relatively longer expected lifespan compared to existing products, to ships, we expect not only to improve ship operation efficiency but also to accelerate the timing of marine decarbonization," adding, "We will lead the shipboard SOFC business by early demonstration through close collaboration with consortium members."

Carrie Traus, Senior Vice President of Shell, said, "We expect that this consortium cooperation will effectively reduce carbon emissions from ships in a short period," and added, "Shell is pleased to collaborate with leading companies in shipbuilding and shipping that share the carbon-neutral vision and strive for marine decarbonization."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group is also developing its own SOFC-related technology to promote fuel cell businesses for both land and ship applications, separate from this agreement.

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