The South Korean shipbuilder is calling it the world’s largest order for ammonia carriers and a signal for the future of shipping. They will be built at the company’s Geoje plant in South Korea. The 93,000 cu metre vessels will deliver by the first half of 2027.
Naftomar has a fleet of 23 vessels, 18 of which are gas carriers. The company has been moving to expand its fleet focusing on the opportunities in gas carriers.
Hanwha Ocean highlights that the vessels will be delivered ammonia-ready meaning they will be able to convert to ammonia propulsion in the future if Naftomar opts to proceed to the fuel after it becomes readily available to the maritime industry.
The order is a significant step for Hanwha Ocean which is investing in future ship technology. The company looks to build on its experience in LPG and LNG carriers to move into new areas including ammonia and liquified CO2 shipping.
Hanwha made ammonia carriers one of the highlighted designs displayed at the recent Gastech conference. They were featuring a design for an 86,000 cu metre ammonia carrier. The shipbuilder received basic design approval, an AiP, from French register BV in September and a similar design approval from Lloyd’s Register in October for the ammonia carrier.
Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited.
