ABS approves Hanwha's carbon-free LNG carrier
SUMMARY
The LNG carrier can use ammonia and natural gas separately or simultaneously as fuel. [Image: ABS]
By Shardul SharmaClassification society ABS has issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Korean shipyard Hanwha Ocean for its design of an LNG carrier equipped with an ammonia-fuelled gas turbine, ABS announced on September 8.
The 174,000 m3 vessel would be the world's first carbon emission free LNG carrier, it added. The LNG carrier can use ammonia and natural gas separately or simultaneously as fuel. If only ammonia is used as fuel, no carbon gas is emitted.
The design, which is smaller than a diesel engine, also incorporates Hanwha Power Systems' exhaust gas waste heat recovery system (sCO2 Power System). Hanwha Ocean says the system meets the nitrogen oxide (NOx) requirement without selective catalytic reduction (SCR) regardless of fuel and has significantly reduced methane slip.
"With a global focus on decarbonisation, this vessel design represents a big step forward in the shipping industry's ambitions for zero-carbon cargo transport," said Panos Koutsourakis, ABS vice president, Global Sustainability.
A spokesperson from Hanwha Ocean said: "Carbon neutrality is a ‘challenge to be overcome’ and an ‘opportunity to leap’ for shipyards. With this AIP, we will lead the competition for carbon-free ships."
