Lloyd’s Register  has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Samsung Heavy Industries for the joint development of a floating production, storage, and offloading  system for green ammonia.

The FPSO process has been widely used in the oil and gas industries, but its application for ammonia is relatively new.

The unit will use renewable energy to provide power for electrolysis of seawater to produce green hydrogen, which will be combined with nitrogen and synthesised to produce green ammonia, ready for offloading to ammonia carriers. It is planned to be linked with offshore windfarms in Europe.

Under the agreement, which was signed at Offshore Korea 2024, SHI will carry out the design for the FPSO and LR will undertake the review of SHI deliverables and provide technical advice for further design development.

Sean van der Post, Lloyd’s Register’s Offshore Business Director, said: “The green ammonia market is poised to grow rapidly in the coming decades, particularly as a clean fuel alternative for the global shipping industry. LR is looking forward to collaborating with SHI to help meet this demand.”

Hae-Ki Jang, CTO of Samsung Heavy Industries, said: “We are delighted to be working with Lloyd’s Register on this project as a part of our development efforts towards achieving Net-zero and pioneering advancements in green energy.”

Lloyd’s Register is leading the safe and sustainable use of ammonia fuel in the containership industry. Through its innovative ”Fuel for Thought” alternative fuel report series, LR has established its expertise in supporting companies adopting ammonia as a fuel. Services include comprehensive HAZID, HAZOP, and quantitative risk assessments, along with several approvals in principle for vessel designs and technologies, and notable advancements in technical rule development. As a safety-focused, fuel-agnostic organisation, LR aims to create a safe framework for the ammonia cargo market and its use with other fuels.