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Hanwha Ocean held an LNGC user forum at Gastech 2024 in Houston during the last week and unveiled the “Ocean 1″ LNG carrier.
This marks the first unveiling of the specific technologies behind “the first fossil-free ship on the water,” Hanwha’s blueprint for developing a carbon-free vessel powered by alternative fuels, which was announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this past January, it said.
The forum was organized to highlight Hanwha Ocean’s LNG carrier technology to major LNG shipping companies and global classification societies.
The LNG carrier showcased at the forum is designed with an ammonia gas turbine-based electric propulsion system, enabling zero-emission operation without fossil fuels, Hanwha Ocean claims.
It can also operate on a dual-fuel system using LNG, which is widely used in ships, with the flexibility to incorporate fuel cells and batteries in the future.
At the forum, Hanwha Ocean also introduced a plan to utilize the high manganese steel cargo tank independent type B (MCTIB)—which has already been applied to its VLCCs and container ships—as a cargo tank for the LNG carrier.
Using MCTIB as a cargo tank is expected to “significantly” reduce boil-off gas, thereby improving transportation efficiency, Hanwha Ocean said.
Autonomous ships
Hanwha Ocean also shared its vision for the commercialization of autonomous ships.
Fully autonomous vessels, which operate without a crew, require unmanned operation and automated cargo loading and unloading technologies.
To support these advancements, the control systems, navigation systems, smart ship solutions, and digital twin technologies were showcased at the forum.
Hanwha Ocean also introduced collaboration plans to create synergies with Hanwha Group affiliates, Hanwha Engine and Hanwha Power Systems.
Hanwha Engine presented a main engine monitoring solution with features that detect abnormalities and provide information on maintenance cycles for major parts.
When integrated with Hanwha Ocean’s smart ship solution, Hanwha SmartShip Solution & Service (HS4), it will offer real-time onshore monitoring.
In addition, Hanwha Power Systems introduced an eco-friendly solution to replace fossil fuel engines on existing ships with ammonia gas turbines.
The company is working on a project with Greek LNG shipper GasLog.