Hydrogen-Fuelled Ship Design Wins ClassNK Approval

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday October 19, 2023

Classification society ClassNK has given its initial approval to the design for a hydrogen-fuelled ship developed by a group of companies including Japan's MOL.

The firm has awarded approval in principle to the parcel layout concept for a multi-purpose vessel design from MOL, MOL Drybulk, Onomichi Dockyard, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Japan Engine Corporation, it said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

The AiP is the first for a ship equipped with a large low-speed two-stroke hydrogen-fuelled engine as the main propulsion engine.

The companies plan to install the engine on the vessel by 2026, before running a demonstration operation in 2027.

"ClassNK will contribute to the further consideration of the project for demonstration operation from the perspective of safety evaluation and will strive to support the decarbonization of shipping," the company said in the statement.

Hydrogen could become one of the alternative fuels used by the shipping industry because of the lack of associated carbon emissions, but is unlikely to be suitable for the largest ships because of the large amount of onboard storage needed for it.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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