HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding sector, is embarking on the development of fuel cell technology for cruise ships in response to the decarbonization era.

HD Hyundai announced on June 19 that HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Europe Research Center, and HD Hydrogen have recently initiated a joint development project with DNV and German cruise line TUI Cruises for the application of solid oxide fuel cell  systems in cruise ships.

SOFC is a high-efficiency fuel cell that produces electricity by reacting hydrogen generated from natural gas, ammonia, and other sources with oxygen. It can significantly reduce carbon and pollutant emissions by generating electricity without combustion. It is also evaluated as a suitable power generation method for cruise ships with high power consumption due to its higher efficiency and lower noise and vibration compared to conventional power generation engines.

As the first step, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HD Europe Research Center will establish safety design standards for applying SOFC systems to actual cruise ships from June this year to February next year. HD Hydrogen, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering’s hydrogen fuel cell subsidiary, plans to analyze the performance of its independently developed SOFC system in various operating environments based on key data. It will also develop technology to recover and recycle waste heat generated due to the characteristics of SOFC operating at high temperatures between 600°C and 1000°C. Additionally, it will develop solutions to reduce carbon emissions partially generated from SOFC systems using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology.

Furthermore, DNV will ensure structural safety and regulatory compliance in line with class certification standards from the initial design stage, while TUI Cruises will share cruise ship data suitable for SOFC system application and installation requirements and operational requirements for actual ship application.

HD Hyundai plans to secure global competitiveness by developing SOFC technology applicable to cruise ships to target the European market, where environmental regulations are strict and demand for eco-friendly ships is high. According to global market research firm Grand View Research, the global SOFC market size is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 40.7% to reach approximately $7.124 billion (about 9.81 trillion won) by 2030.

An HD Hyundai official stated, “This international joint development project will be an important milestone in proving HD Hyundai’s world-class decarbonization ship technology in Europe,” adding, “We will lead the decarbonization of the sea with low-carbon, high-efficiency fuel cell technology.”

Source:BUsiness Korea