An innovative ammonia-fuelled containership design from Korea Maritime Consultants Co., Ltd. (KOMAC) was granted Approval in Principle (AIP) by ABS in May 2023.
The ammonia-fuelled 3,600 teu design was developed by KOMAC’s team to address what they forecast as an increase in market need for small-scale, ammonia-fuelled vessels.
The design for the 3,600-teu vessel was developed by KOMAC, building upon the naval architects’ experience with developing alternative fuel propulsion systems for a variety of vessel types. The Motorship notes that KOMAC developed the design for Matson’s 3,600-teu LNG-fuelled Daniel K. Inouye containership, which was built by Philly Shipyard in 2018.
Given the challenging characteristics of ammonia, ABS conducted a comprehensive review and participated in the risk assessment of the ammonia fuel system in the AIP process to address safety and reliability.
“Ammonia offers both significant potential to contribute to shipping’s emissions reduction challenge and significant challenge due to its toxic properties. ABS is leading the industry in developing solutions to this safety challenge and supporting first movers like Komac to take advantage of ammonia’s zero-carbon potential,” said Panos Koutsourakis, ABS Vice President, Global Sustainability.
Lee Sung-Ryong, Head of KOMAC’s think tank, said, “KOMAC offers Korea’s best engineering and technology services for shipbuilding. By providing these services to international and domestic small and medium-sized shipyards, we are supporting the revitalisation of these important facilities.”
