KR grants approval to HD HHI’s LNG dual-fuel VLGC

Classification society Korean Register (KR) has granted approval to an LNG dual-fuel Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC), jointly developed by South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) and KR.

PHOTO: Company representatives at a deal signing ceremony at Gastech 2023. KR

The approved dual-fuel VLGC can run on both LNG and marine gas oil (MGO). The vessel design incorporates “two LNG fuel tanks positioned on both sides of the open deck,” KR says.

Implementation and development of the ship’s basic design, layout of fuel supply pipes and the gas detection system, and design of the LNG fuel tank were handled by HD HHI. Meanwhile, KR evaluated “the safety, suitability and the regulatory compliance of the design by reviewing national and international regulations.”

The Approval in Principle (AiP) was awarded to HD HHI at the Gastech 2023 event taking place in Singapore this week.

“The global maritime industry is grappling with the development of various countermeasures to meet strengthening greenhouse gas regulations, and market interest in eco-friendly fuelled ships such as LNG is particularly high,” KR says.

The global LNG-fuelled fleet comprises 431 vessels, with another 110 expected to join this year, classification society DNV data shows.

“KR has been focusing on the development of eco-friendly technologies relevant to LNG for several years because LNG is considered a major alternative that can meet the international regulations,” KR technical division’s executive vice president Kim Yeontae says.

LNG can curb carbon dioxide emissions by about a quarter compared to conventional bunker fuels. But its methane emissions can be 36 times more potent as a greenhouse gas (GHG) compared to carbon dioxide over a century, according to a World Bank study.

By Tuhin Roy

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