VLAC Moving to Ammonia Fuel Cells... Samsung Heavy Industries Receives Basic Certification at 'Posidonia'

'3No Eco-Friendly Ship' Emitting No Sulfur Oxides, Nitrogen Oxides, or Carbon Dioxide

Samsung Heavy Industries announced on the 5th that it has obtained the Approval in Principle (AIP) from the UK classification society LR for the "Ammonia Fuel Cell Propulsion Ammonia Carrier (VLAC) Design" at 'Posidonia 2024' held in Athens, Greece.

Posidonia is the world's largest shipbuilding and marine equipment exhibition held biennially along with Nor-Shipping (Oslo, Norway). This year, it is held from the 4th to the 7th (local time), and Korea is participating with five domestic shipbuilders including Samsung Heavy Industries under the Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association, jointly operating the Korean Pavilion.

The ammonia fuel cell applies a principle where ammonia is separated into hydrogen and nitrogen through high-temperature catalytic reactions using cracking technology, then supplied to the fuel cell, producing electricity through the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen.

Ammonia Fuel Cell Propulsion VLAC Image [Photo by Samsung Heavy Industries]

Samsung Heavy Industries developed the ammonia fuel cell propulsion VLAC in collaboration with the US fuel cell system developer 'Amogy'.

This vessel, which replaces both the main propulsion engine and the power generator engine with fuel cells, is a '3-no (無) eco-friendly ship' with zero emissions of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide.

Since it does not require equipment related to conventional internal combustion engines and oil, it minimizes noise and vibration inside the ship and reduces maintenance costs.

In addition, Samsung Heavy Industries also achieved consecutive technical certifications for 96,000 CBM class (Norway DNV, USA ABS) and 150,000 CBM class (Korea KR) VLACs from major classification societies on site.

Commemorative photo for the certification of ammonia fuel cell propulsion AIP. (From left) Andy McKerran Lloyd, Chief Business Officer, Jang Haegi, Vice President of Samsung Heavy Industries, Woo Seonghoon, CEO of Amoji
[Photo by Samsung Heavy Industries]

With this, Samsung Heavy Industries has completed the development of various VLAC designs ranging from 88,000 to 210,000 CBM capable of navigating from the old Panama Canal (width 33m) to the new Panama Canal (width 55m). It can actively respond to the increasing demand for ammonia transportation, which is gaining attention as a carbon-free fuel.

Jang Hae-gi, Vice President and Head of Technology Development at Samsung Heavy Industries, said, "Ammonia is an important solution to achieve the carbon neutrality goals of the shipbuilding and shipping industry," adding, "Samsung Heavy Industries will lead the development of eco-friendly new products."

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