ABS greenlights HD KSOE hydrogen tank design

The new design which was approved by ABS is set to enable safer, large-scale hydrogen transport and storage.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has received American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) approval for a tank design that enables large-scale hydrogen transport and storage.

The vacuum insulation system from HD KSOE is designed to reduce the time required to create a vacuum in large tanks, essential for transportation.

The new technology allows maintaining a vacuum state at –253℃, which KSOE says enables safer and loss-free transport of large quantities of liquid hydrogen.

Previous KSOE technological solutions for large-scale energy shipping include liquid national gas, liquified petroleum gas, ammonia, and CO2.

Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, said: “Hydrogen is a key enabler for decarbonisation, playing critical roles as fuel, feedstock, energy storage and load balancing. As demand grows, shipping will need advanced systems to support large-scale liquid hydrogen storage and transportation.

Dr. Byeongyong Yoo, Vice President at HD KSOE, added: “We will continue collaborating with leading global companies to drive the energy transition and achieve net-zero goals.”

HD KSOE is working with global energy and shipping companies Woodside Energy, Mitsui OSK Limes and Hyundai Glovis, which participated in the validation test and are jointly developing an 80,000 cbm liquid hydrogen carrier.

ABS completed design reviews based on class and statutory requirements.