Korean shipbuilder aims to develop world’s 1st ammonia-powered ships by 2028

Hanwha Group has partnered with Baker Hughes, a global energy technology company, to co-develop turbines fueled by ammonia as the Korean conglomerate aims to produce the world’s first ships using the fuel by 2028.
According to Hanwha on Tuesday, the two sides signed a joint development and collaboration agreement at this year’s Baker Hughes Annual Meeting in Florence, Italy on the previous day. The partnership will look to utilize an ammonia combustion system developed by Hanwha’s US unit PSM and Baker Hughes’ small-sized turbine technology.
The companies aim to complete the full engine test with ammonia by the end of 2027, after which the turbine will become available for commercial orders.
Hanwha said the envisioned gas turbine will be able to run on 100 percent ammonia combustion as well as dual fuel operation with a blend of natural gas and ammonia. The company touted it as a game changing technology for large ship owners by enabling a new carbon-free mode of propulsion.
“This collaborative development of a low-carbon ammonia gas turbine will be a significant turning point in the global shipbuilding and shipping industry, accelerating the transition to eco-friendly fuel propulsion for ships,” said Son Young-chang, vice president and head of Hanwha Ocean’s Product Strategy Technology Institute.
Prior to the collaboration with Baker Hughes, Hanwha Power Systems and Hanwha Ocean obtained approval in principle from the American Bureau of Shipping to apply ammonia gas turbines to liquefied natural gas carriers in September 2023.
“Decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries and transportation is one of the most pressing but high-potential opportunities of our time,” said Alessandro Bresciani, senior vice president of Climate Technology Solutions at Baker Hughes.
“We believe fuel switching to ammonia will play a key role in achieving significant emissions reductions across these sectors, and to realize this ambition, the industry needs more partnerships such as this.”
