Industry heavyweights have collaborated on the design of a 15,300-TEU ammonia powered dual-fuel container ship.
South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) is partnering with classification society Lloyds Register (LR) to address challenges associated with ammonia. Under the agreement, HHI has developed a twin skeg design for an ultra large container ship. The design envisions a 365-m vessel featuring two small-bore engines that are currently available on the market and ammonia fuel tanks positioned ahead of the engineroom, far from the deckhouse, helping to ensure safe fuel supply operations and better crew habitability.
Both parties claim this is the first design to envision ammonia-powered dual-fuel engines for an ultra large container ship, as there is currently no large ammonia-powered dual-fuel big bore engine available. It hopes to address shipowner concerns over ammonia dual-fuel systems until they are proven with engines for larger oceangoing vessels.
The project also aims to complete a full safety review that involves a feasibility assessment for ammonia fuel tanks constructed with low-temperature steel and an evaluation of the structural integrity of the ship against sloshing loads. Additionally, it will review the fuel gas supply system, helping ensure safety and compatibility with ammonia.
LR has reviewed the design to ensure it meets applicable standards of safety and operational efficiency relating to the usage of ammonia as a marine fuel and provide technical advice for further design development.
The class society’s GTSO representative for Korea, Young-Doo Kim said, “There is a growing demand for container vessels that incorporate innovative technologies to comply with stringent regulations and environmental standards for zero carbon.”
Lloyd’s Register is involved with other initiatives supporting ammonia as a fuel, with several approvals in principle for vessel designs and technologies including design approval for Samsung Heavy Industry’s 85,000-125,000-dwt ammonia-fuelled tanker and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co’s 23,000-TEU ammonia container ship.
Interest in ammonia continues to grow, with notable charterers ready to take first steps. Norway’s state oil company Equinor has started tendering for a new fleet of platform supply vessels to replace the current diesel-driven fleet with those using ammonia as a zero-carbon alternative to diesel. Equinor is also part of a pilot project trialling an ammonia-diesel dual-fuel engines on an offshore support vessel owned by Eidesvik Offshore in Norway in 2026.
Elsewhere, engine maker WinGD aims to introduce the first ammonia engine into the commercial market next year. And last month, German engine maker MAN Energy Solutions received German government backing to develop a four-stroke, dual-fuel test engine running on ammonia.
