September 18, 2024

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(HD Hyundai)

Shipbuilding rivals HD Hyundai and Hanwha Group are gearing up for Gastech 2024, the world’s largest energy sector exhibition, held from Tuesday to Sept. 20 in Houston. Attracting over 50,000 attendees and more than 800 companies, the event will spotlight the companies' eco-friendly shipbuilding and energy technologies.

HD Hyundai will be represented by Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun, along with a team from sales, R&D and engineering, to meet with business partners and corporate clients. The company’s 420-square-meter booth will feature advanced ship models like next-generation liquefied natural gas carriers, floating storage and regasification units, and liquefied carbon dioxide carriers.

A major highlight at HD Hyundai’s booth will be its cloud-based digital twin technology, which recently received certification from Norway’s leading classification society, Det Norske Veritas. This system creates virtual models of key ship systems -- such as engines and power systems -- allowing real-time performance verification through the cloud while cutting the costs and time associated with traditional testing.

Additionally, HD Hyundai will highlight its progress in ammonia-powered vessels, with the American Bureau of Shipping having approved an uncrewed engine room design. This innovation improves crew safety and operational efficiency, especially for eco-friendly ships.

HD Hyundai will also receive certifications for two new refueling vessels: a 23,000 cubic meter ammonia vessel from Lloyd’s Register and an 18,000 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessel from the Korean Register. These certifications ensure that vessels meet international standards and will be essential for building the infrastructure to support cleaner marine fuels like ammonia and LNG.

On top of that, HD Hyundai Marine Solution will debut its Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage retrofit system, designed to help existing ships reduce their carbon footprint by capturing emissions directly on the vessel.

(Hanwha Group)

Hanwha Group, including its key divisions Hanwha Ocean, Hanwha Engine and Hanwha Power Systems, will also present their innovations at Gastech 2024. Hanwha Ocean will reveal a model of the world’s first ammonia gas turbine-powered LNG carrier, set for completion by 2028. Unlike traditional engines, the turbine does not require any pilot oil, making it completely carbon-free -- an idea first proposed by Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan at the Davos Forum in January.

Hanwha Ocean will also introduce eco-friendly retrofit solutions that allow older, fossil-fuel-powered ships to be converted to run on ammonia, helping bridge the gap to zero-emission shipping. It will present several next-gen ships, including an 80,000 cubic meter liquefied hydrogen carrier and a 93,000 cubic meter ammonia carrier.

Meanwhile, Hanwha Power Systems will highlight its ammonia gas turbine technology and introduce carbon reduction solutions such as supercritical carbon dioxide power generation systems. These systems increase power plant efficiency by using CO2 at high pressure and temperature to generate electricity more efficiently than traditional steam turbines.

Hanwha Engine, specializing in low-speed, dual-fuel engines for large vessels, will showcase engines that run on cleaner fuels like LNG and ammonia. It will also introduce its Long-Term Service Agreement, a lifecycle care program that ensures stable engine operation and helps shipowners reduce downtime and maintenance costs.

By Moon Joon-hyun (mjh@heraldcorp.com)