Hanwha Ocean Obtains Basic Approval for Large Liquefied Carbon Dioxide Carrier Ship

Development through a Four-Party Agreement with Global Companies

Hanwha Ocean announced on the 6th that it has obtained the Approval in Principle (AIP) from ABS for a 40,000㎥ class large liquefied carbon dioxide carrier (hereinafter LCO2 carrier) at 'Posidonia 2024' held in Greece. ABS, an American classification society, is one of the world's top four classification societies.

Perspective view of a large liquefied carbon dioxide carrier developed and granted basic approval by Hanwha Ocean.
[Photo by Hanwha Ocean]

Since last year, Hanwha Ocean has signed a four-party Joint Industry Project (JIP) with ABS, Greece's Ecolog, and Scotland's Babcock LGE to develop a 40,000㎥ class large LCO2 carrier, conducting extensive research including verification of the basic performance and structural safety of the LCO2 carrier, as well as conceptual design validation of the cargo operation system.

In particular, the cargo operation system that stably maintains liquefied carbon dioxide is considered the key to the large-scale LCO2 carrier. Failure to control the cargo hold pressure can cause liquefied carbon dioxide to form dry ice, which may threaten the safety of the vessel.

Hanwha Ocean took charge of the comprehensive review of the ship's propulsion performance and the detailed design of the LCO2 carrier. Ecolog provided global industry requirements related to carbon capture, utilization, and storage, as well as ship operation know-how. Babcock LGE assisted in the design and development of the cargo operation system, including the reliquefaction unit. The American classification society ABS was responsible for reviewing and approving the overall design specifications in this collaboration.

A Hanwha Ocean official said, "The vessel that received ABS's Approval in Principle this time is a new concept carrier capable of transporting liquefied carbon dioxide in large quantities, significantly improving operational economy," adding, "We will continue to strive for the development of ultra-large LCO2 carriers with capacities exceeding 70,000㎥ in the future."