Hanwha Ocean wins order for world’s largest ammonia carrier

A bird’s-eye view of ammonia carrier [Courtesy of Hanwha Ocean]

South Korean shipbuilding company Hanwha Ocean Co. is making strides in the carbon-free shipping market after winning orders for four ultra large ammonia carriers.

Hanwha Ocean announced Tuesday that it won orders for four very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) from Naftomar Shipping & Trading Co., a Greek shipping company specializing in the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia, for a total of 656.2 billion won ($499.77 million). The vessels can carry 93,000 cubic meters of ammonia, the world’s largest order to date, and are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2027. The vessels will be equipped with the shaft generator motor (SGM), which can save fuel in power generation by connecting a motor to the propulsion shaft, as well as Hanwha Ocean’s smart ship platform HS4.

The ships can also be converted to ammonia powered vessels at the request of the shipowner, Hanwha Ocean said. Ammonia is one of the key decarbonized fuels that do not emit any carbon dioxide when burned and can be converted into hydrogen through a simple process, making it the most economical means of hydrogen transportation. It is also easy to transport and store.

Hanwha Ocean won the Approval in Principle (AiP) in September 2022 for an 86,000-cubic meter ammonia carrier from French testing company Bureau Veritas (BV).