Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has received approval in principle from Norway-based classification society DNV for the design of fuel cell-powered LNG carrier, reports Offshore Energy.
About the announcement
Samsung Heavy Industries announced Thursday it has successfully developed a fuel cell-powered liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier with its U.S. partner Bloom Energy and has won basic design approval from DNV, the world’s leading maritime classification society in Norway.
Samsung Heavy and California-based Bloom Energy teamed up in July last year to design and develop clean-fuel vessels.
Eliminating harmful emissions
The new LNG carrier is powered by Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), a conversion device that generates electric power through an electrochemical reaction without combustion, in contrast to bunker fuel-powered vessels.
Thus, it virtually eliminates harmful emissions like sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides and drastically reduces carbon emissions to respond to tightened emissions regulations enforced by the International Maritime Organization.
“The fuel cell-powered ship can significantly cut air pollutant emissions, noise, and vibration as well as maintenance costs by replacing the internal combustion engine with fuel cells. Samsung Heavy will set a global standard for fuel cell propulsion system,” said Jeong Ho-Hyeon, head of Samsung Heavy’s technology development division.
Plans for the trail
Samsung Heavy plans to test out the vessel at its Geoje shipyard before embarking on global marketing, it said.
Shares of Samsung Heavy industries finished Thursday down 0.3 percent at 6,690 won ($5.91).
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Source: Offshore Energy
