Hanwha Ocean's Ammonia Fuel Conversion System for LNG Carriers Receives ABS Approval in Principle

en.Wedoany.com Reported - South Korea's Hanwha Ocean has received Approval in Principle (AIP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for a multi-purpose fuel tank and integrated gas supply system developed for LNG carriers. The design is intended for gas turbine electric propulsion LNG carriers and enables the vessel's fuel to be switched from LNG to ammonia without replacing the fuel tank or fuel supply system. ABS has completed the design review in accordance with relevant classification rules and international requirements.

The scope of this approval covers both the multi-purpose fuel tank and the integrated fuel gas supply system. The system can supply either LNG or ammonia to the gas turbine separately, allowing the vessel to operate on LNG in the initial phase and switch to ammonia fuel later once fuel supply and operational conditions permit. The fuel switch does not require dismantling or reconfiguring the existing fuel tank and FGSS, preserving two fuel operation pathways for the same hull platform.

Hanwha Ocean has previously completed a series of technical verifications for ammonia-fueled LNG carriers. In 2023, ABS granted Hanwha Ocean an AIP for an ammonia-fueled gas turbine propulsion system for a 174,000 m³ LNG carrier; the vessel is designed to use ammonia and natural gas separately or simultaneously as fuel, and in pure ammonia mode, the vessel's propulsion process produces no carbon dioxide emissions.

In 2024, ABS also completed an ammonia dispersion safety assessment for this ammonia-fueled gas turbine LNG carrier. The tests used computational fluid dynamics to simulate ammonia leakage dispersion at locations including the engine room, piping, and deck bunkering station, and on this basis evaluated ventilation arrangements, ventilation mast positions, release velocities, and air intake arrangements for occupied spaces. The simulation results showed that the design complies with ABS's applicable rules regarding ammonia toxicity and accumulation risks.

This round of Approval in Principle for the multi-purpose fuel tank and FGSS extends the previous verification of ammonia-fueled gas turbine propulsion and ammonia leakage safety further to the vessel's fuel storage and supply system. Hanwha Ocean's existing next-generation vessel technology system already covers alternative fuel supply systems such as LNG, methanol, and ammonia, and incorporates gas turbines, electric propulsion, energy storage, and alternative fuel systems into the scope of large commercial vessel technology development.