South Korea’s SHI builds ammonia pilot facility

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has started building an ammonia demonstration facility at its shipyard in Gyeongsang province’s Geoje city.

The firm received approval for a technical review from the government organisation Korea Gas Safety Corporation and acquired a manufacturing permit from Geoje authorities to build the facility.

The project will verify technology related to the development of ammonia-propelled vessels, which SHI plans to complete construction by the end of this year. The facility will be equipped with pilot systems for fuel supply, reliquefaction and emissions reduction. The demonstration facility will also trial various technologies to develop a solution to the issue of ammonia’s toxicity.

SHI said it has been developing ammonia-powered vessel technology with other firms since 2019, with it part of a coalition to develop an ammonia-fuelled tanker.

The shipbuilder April announced plans to convert all 370 of the commercial vehicles that it currently owns or leases to zero-emissions vehicles, such as electric or hydrogen vehicles, by 2030. The firm has already introduced 15 commercial electric trucks and one electric car since February when it joined the K-EV100 in which companies aim to convert 100pc of their domestic commercial vehicles to zero emissions vehicles by 2030.