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ABS issued an approval in principle (AIP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for its ammonia reductant supply system for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) in ammonia-fuelled ships.

Representatives from both companies and the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) met at Gastech 2023 for the AIP presentation.

SCR reductant

The system utilises the ammonia carried on board as the SCR reductant to remove NOx from emissions as opposed to the urea used in traditional diesel propulsion.

In addition, the AIP includes a plan to safely treat toxic ammonia gas generated during operation, including a configuration that can use ammonia Boil-Off Gas (BOG) and purge gas generated from an ammonia fuel supply system as an SCR reductant.

Author's quote

ABS is committed to pioneering the industry in supporting ammonia’s safe adoption at sea"

ABS has always been a safety pioneer, so we are well placed to tackle the challenges on board and ashore presented by ammonia’s toxicity and flammability. ABS is committed to pioneering the industry in supporting ammonia’s safe adoption at sea,” said John McDonald, ABS President and COO.

After the 80th MEPC, there is a lot of interest in zero-emission ships that use ammonia as fuel. We are pleased to have received the world's first approval in principle (AIP) from ABS and LISCR for our technology, which aims to improve the safety of ammonia-fuelled ships and reduce the operating costs for shipowners. We will continue to develop ammonia-fuelled ships that are the best for our customers and look forward to working with ABS and LISCR,” said Sung-Joon Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and CTO at HD KSOE.

Ammonia-related technology

Considering the recent tightening of environmental regulations, ammonia is expected to become a mainstream alternative fuel in the future. Accordingly, the development of ammonia-related technology will be actively developed, and HHI and KSOE are also working on the development of ammonia-related technology."

HHI and KSOE are also working on the development of ammonia-related technology"

"The newly developed ammonia-reducing agent supply system is one of the results of these technological development efforts and is expected to contribute to the efficient operation of ammonia carriers,” said Seung-Ho Jeon, Senior Executive Vice President and CTO at HD HHI.

Zero-carbon fuelled vessels

As a provider in innovation and decarbonisation, we at the Liberian Registry are very proud to join our partners in supporting this pioneering technology."

"This AIP is a significant step forward in the implementation of zero-carbon fuelled vessels,” said Alfonso Castillero, CEO of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR).

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