Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Korean Register to Establish World's First International Standards for Hydrogen Ships

Kim Daeheon, Head of Research Division at Korean Register (left), and Jang Gwangpil, Director of Energy Technology Research Institute at Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement to develop safety design regulations for hydrogen ships.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the shipbuilding holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, has decided to develop international standards for hydrogen ships together with the Korean Register. Currently, there are no international standards for hydrogen ships, and the goal is to create standards for transporting or using hydrogen as fuel.

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and the Korean Register recently announced on the 3rd that they signed a "Memorandum of Understanding for the Development of Safety Design Regulations for Hydrogen Ships." According to this agreement, they plan to jointly develop the world's first international standards for hydrogen ships and submit them to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) by next year.

For ships to navigate the world's oceans, they must be built according to the ship regulations of the International Maritime Organization. However, there are currently no international standards related to hydrogen ships. Gas carriers must comply with regulations concerning the storage, operation, and emergency procedures for liquefied gases rather than general cargo, making the establishment of standards much more complex.

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and the Korean Register will review conditions for safely handling hydrogen, including the ship's gas storage and fuel supply systems, and cargo handling systems. Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard will also participate in joint research, assisting with hull design and cargo hold arrangement. Both companies have extensive experience in building gas carriers. Since January, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has been participating in the hydrogen ship safety standards development project led by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Last October, it also received basic certification from the Korean Register for the world's first commercial liquefied hydrogen carrier it developed.

A representative from Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said, "We will establish domestic and international technical standards for hydrogen carriers and hydrogen fuel propulsion ships to accelerate the era of hydrogen ships," adding, "Furthermore, we will continuously secure alternative fuel technologies such as hydrogen and ammonia to lead the era of carbon-neutral ships."

According to a report released in 2017 by the Hydrogen Council, a global consortium of companies leading the hydrogen economy, the global hydrogen market is expected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2050, accounting for 18% of total energy demand.