Hanwha Ocean Delivers Ultra-Large Container Ship to Germany... Equipped with High-Manganese Steel LNG Fuel Tank

Application of High-Manganese Steel-Based Fuel Tank 'Mactive'
"It Will Lay the Foundation for LNG Cargo Hold Technology Internalization"

Hanwha Ocean has delivered a dual-fuel propulsion ultra-large container ship equipped with its own liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tank technology.

Hanwha Ocean announced on the 10th that it delivered the 24,000 TEU ultra-large container ship "Singapore Express" equipped with a high-manganese steel LNG fuel tank to Germany's Hapag-Lloyd.

Hanwha Ocean is the world's first to equip a 24,000 TEU-class dual-fuel ultra-large container ship with a high-manganese steel LNG fuel tank.
[Photo by Hanwha Ocean]

This vessel is equipped with the high-manganese steel-based LNG fuel tank "MCTIB," jointly developed by Hanwha Ocean and POSCO. Existing fuel tanks mainly used materials such as Invar (nickel alloy steel), aluminum, and stainless steel, which can withstand LNG at minus 163 degrees Celsius. However, these materials contain a large amount of expensive nickel, causing cost increases, and they have limitations in use due to low strength and difficult processing.

MCTIB is a product that significantly reduces manufacturing costs by using manganese, which is about ten times cheaper than nickel, as the material. High-manganese steel is also easy to process, resulting in higher productivity compared to conventional materials. Thanks to these advantages, high-manganese steel was recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2022 as a material for cryogenic cargo and fuel tanks.

Hanwha Ocean expects that by securing price competitiveness through mass production of high-manganese steel in the future, it will internalize LNG cargo tank technology as well, further strengthening the international competitiveness of the Korean shipbuilding industry.

So far, Hanwha Ocean has secured orders for a total of 36 vessels equipped with high-manganese steel fuel tanks, including 22 container ships and 14 ultra-large crude oil carriers (VLCCs). Among them, five container ships including the Singapore Express and 14 VLCCs have been successfully delivered to shipowners, and the remaining 17 vessels are currently under construction.

A Hanwha Ocean official said, "With this delivery, Hanwha Ocean's LNG technology has been proven once again," adding, "We will contribute to improving the technology of K-shipbuilding through localization of ship equipment."

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