Hyundai Mipo Dockyard to build ammonia-ready LCO2 carrier

South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) will construct an ammonia-ready 22,000-cbm multi-gas carrier for Greek shipping company Capital Maritime Group.

PHOTO: Liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) and multi-gas carrier vessel designed by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. Hyundai Mipo Dockyard

Ammonia-ready means the vessels will not be capable of running on ammonia upon delivery, but they will have the space allocated to install ammonia fuel tanks and engines in the future.

The vessel will be designed to liquefy carbon dioxide (CO2) on board and transport liquefied CO2 (LCO2) as cargo, as well as transport other liquefied gas cargoes like ammonia and petroleum gas (LPG).

Growing demand for LCO2 carriers

An official from HMD added that the company expects to receive more orders for large and ultra-large LCO2 carriers in the future “as the market size for eco-friendly carbon capture and storage is expected to increase.”

CO2 captured from ships and industrial plants can be used to produce synthetic marine fuels like e-methanol. However, since it is a gas under normal atmospheric conditions, it needs to be compressed or liquefied before being transported over long voyages because storing it in gaseous form would occupy too much space on ships.

On the other hand, transporting LCO2 requires insulated tanks and specialised vessels since it needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures of around -30°C to remain in a liquid state. This has led to an increase in demand for LCO2 carriers made from materials that withstand extremely low temperatures.

To meet this demand, numerous companies are developing advanced LCO2 carrier concepts, and several have received greenlight from classification societies.

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) received approval in principle from the classification society Korean Register (KR) for a 40,000-cbm LCO2 carrier concept.

An ammonia and liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier design developed by Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and shipping company NYK Line has been approved by the classification society ClassNK. Another LCO2 carrier concept by Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has been approved by classification societies DNV and ABS.

By Konica Bhatt

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