DNV awards AiP to SHI for VLCC Fuel Ready design

DNV, the world's leading classification society, has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for a "Fuel Ready" (ammonia, D, S, Ti) class notation for their 300,000 dwt LNG fuelled very large crude carrier (VLCC) design.

SHI has developed a fuel ready concept for a VLCC with dual fuel diesel/ammonia as a potential fuel combination after conversion from dual fuel diesel/LNG. The AiP award confirms the general feasibility of the design. It was found that there are no showstoppers in realizing the DNV class notation “Fuel Ready” after examining the shipyard’s drawings. The newly released "Gas Fuelled Ammonia" notation has also been applied in the process.

“The global maritime industry is at a critical juncture in terms of being ready to respond with low-carbon ship design. Through DNV’s AiP for ammonia 'Fuel Ready' design, SHI is making an effort for commercialization of alternative fuel solutions for global shipowners considering newbuildings or converting ammonia-fuelled ships in the future,” said Ho-hyun Jeong, EVP and Head of SHI's Engineering Operations.

“We are very happy to work with SHI in this innovative 'Fuel Ready' VLCC concept,” said Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime. "DNV has been pioneering the research and development of viable future marine fuels, including ammonia. As a trusted voice to tackle global transformations, our role is to support the industry in bringing new low-carbon ship designs to life in a safe and sustainable manner."

The AiP incorporates the attributes S (structure) and Ti (tank installed). A high-level verification of ammonia applicability for the C-tanks installed onboard the VLCC was also performed. At the time of newbuild, the vessel will still be subject to a full review of documentation requirements pertaining to the applied rules.

In addition to “Fuel Ready”, DNV also offers a dedicated “Gas Fuelled Ammonia” class notation, aimed at shipowners looking to build ammonia fuelled vessels now. The new notations were launched on 1 July 2021 and will enter into force 1 January 2022. A full description of the rules and links can be found here.

An ‘Ammonia as a marine fuel’ white paper has been available already since November 2020, while in February 2021 DNV published a ‘Marine Fuel Safety Handbook’ in collaboration with the Green Shipping Programme.