HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has announced it has built the world’s first ammonia-powered vessel.
A naming ceremony was held for two 46,000-cubic-metre, mid-sized gas carrier ships at the company’s Ulsan shipyard last month on 9 March.
Equipped with dual-fuel (DF) engines; the two vessels have been named Antwerpen and Arlon after the Belgian cities. They are now the first two in a set of four ammonia-powered mid-sized gas carriers ordered by Exmar LPG France, a subsidiary of Belgian shipping company Exmar, in 2023 and 2024.
The vessels are currently scheduled for delivery to the shipowner in May and late July, following their final outfitting. Each ship measures 190 metres in length, 30.4 metres in width and 18.8 metres in height, and both are equipped with three cargo tanks designed and built using HHI’s proprietary technology, allowing safe transport of liquefied gas cargoes such as ammonia and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Each vessel also utilised a shaft generator, which produces electricity using the propulsion engine’s rotating shaft, as well as a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, which aims to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions and enhance environmental performance. They are also equipped with advanced detection and mitigation systems, including an ammonia gas detector for the real-time monitoring of potential leaks, as well as an ammonia purge recovery unit.
Stored in pressurised tanks at around 8 bar or in refrigerated tanks at -33°C without the need for cryogenic technology; Ammonia (NH3) has roughly 1.7 times higher storage density than liquefied hydrogen (-253°C) at the same volume, making it a viable alternative for large-scale, long-distance transport and storage of hydrogen.
A roadmap published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that ammonia will account for 8% of marine fuel demand in 2030, before rising to 46% by 2050.
Joo Won-ho, head of HHI's Naval & Special Ship Business Unit, said:It is very meaningful for us to have built the world's first ammonia-powered vessel, which requires advanced technical expertise.
We will continue to strengthen our leadership in the global eco-friendly ship market through ongoing technological innovation.
Thus far, HHI has secured orders for eight ammonia-powered vessels from companies including Exmar and Trafigura.
Attendees pose for a commemorative photo during the naming ceremony for medium-sized gas carriers held at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan on Thursday, the 9th. (Front row, far left: Joo Won-ho, President and head of HHI’s Naval & Special Ship Business Unit; seventh from left: Mr. Nicolas Saverys, Chairman of Exmar; third from right in the front row: H. E. Bruno Jans, Belgium’s ambassador to South Korea)
