Lloyd's Register, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) signed an agreement titled Approval in Principle (AiP) to advance the design of an LNG ship with a capacity of 185,000 cubic meters and a hybrid electric propulsion system. This agreement was signed during the Gastech 2026 exhibition in Bangkok, aiming to develop and confirm the safety of the hybrid electric propulsion system for this vessel.
Development of Propulsion System and Safety
According to this agreement, the companies will work on the development and confirmation of the safety of the hybrid electric propulsion system. This will focus on enhancing system architecture, redundancy philosophy, and battery integration. The project also seeks to develop guidelines and technical requirements for this emerging technology, which will provide a framework to support broader adoption in the LNG ship market.
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Outlook on Green Marine Technologies
Lloyd's Register, by engaging early in this project, contributes to the development of technical guidelines in an area where official standards are still evolving. This enhances the company's ability to support future projects with electric propulsion systems and low-carbon ship concepts. Furthermore, this project is expected to generate insights beyond LNG ships and contribute to future developments in electric propulsion, fuel cell integration, and other advanced ship concepts.
Andy McKeran, Growth Director at Lloyd's Register, stated: "The hybrid electric propulsion has clear potential to support increased efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but its application at this scale requires a robust approach to design and safety. By collaborating from early stages, we can help shape practical and reliable solutions that support broader deployment in the industry."
Hongryeul Ryu, Executive Vice President and CTO of HHI, added: "HD HHI is actively adopting environmentally friendly technologies to comply with environmental regulations. Through this recent project, we were able to identify various advantages and disadvantages of implementing an advanced electric propulsion system. Based on these experiences, we expect this experience to serve as a valuable foundation for the development and implementation of more efficient propulsion systems in the future."
Kwang-Pil Chang, Senior Executive Vice President of the Advanced Research Center at KSOE, also said: "Electric propulsion is at the heart of the maritime industry's transition to more sustainable and efficient ships. We continuously update our electric propulsion technologies and solutions to lead this transition and enable its use across a wider range of ship types. By closely collaborating with our partners, we will continue to strengthen our technology leadership and shape the future of electric transportation."
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