▶ Naming ceremony held for two mid-sized gas carriers equipped with ammonia dual-fuel engines ▶ Ammonia projected to account for 46% of global marine fuel by 2050 ▶ “HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will continue to lead the global eco-friendly ship market through technological innovation” HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) said it has built the world’s first ammonia-powered vessel and held a naming ceremony on March 9 for two such ships at its Ulsan shipyard. The ceremony marked the naming of two 46,000-cubic-meter mid-sized gas carriers equipped with dual-fuel (DF) engines. About 70 officials and employees attended the event, including Joo Won-ho, head of HHI’s Naval & Special Ship Business Unit; Nicolas Saverys, chairman of Exmar; and H. E. Bruno Jans, Belgium’s ambassador to South Korea.  The two vessels were named “Antwerpen” and “Arlon,” after cities in Belgium. They are the first and second of four ammonia-powered mid-sized gas carriers ordered by Exmar LPG France, a subsidiary of Belgian shipping company Exmar, in 2023 and 2024. The vessels are scheduled to be delivered to the shipowner in May and late July, respectively, following final outfitting. The vessels measure 190 meters in length, 30.4 meters in width and 18.8 meters in height, and are equipped with three cargo tanks designed and built using HHI’s proprietary technology, enabling the safe transport of liquefied gas cargoes such as ammonia and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).  They also feature a shaft generator, which produces electricity using the propulsion engine’s rotating shaft, and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, further enhancing their environmental performance. The vessels are also equipped with advanced detection and mitigation systems, including an ammonia gas detector for real-time leak monitoring and an ammonia purge recovery unit, ensuring a high level of safety.  Ammonia (NH3), an eco-friendly, carbon-free fuel, can be stored in pressurized tanks at around 8 bar or in refrigerated tanks at -33°C without the need for cryogenic technology. In liquid form, it has about 1.7 times higher storage density than liquefied hydrogen (-253°C) at the same volume, making it suitable for large-scale, long-distance transport and storage of hydrogen. A net-zero roadmap released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that ammonia will account for 8% of marine fuel demand in 2030, rising to 46% by 2050, indicating that demand for ammonia-powered vessels is expected to grow significantly. “It is very meaningful for us to have built the world’s first ammonia-powered vessel, which requires advanced technical expertise. We will continue to strengthen our leadership in the global eco-friendly ship market through ongoing technological innovation,” said Joo Won-ho, head of HHI’s Naval & Special Ship Business Unit. HHI has secured orders for a total of eight ammonia-powered vessels from companies including Exmar and Trafigura. The company has also led the next-generation eco-friendly fuel ship market, having delivered the world’s first methanol-powered petrochemical product carrier in 2016 and the world’s first methanol-powered container ship in 2023.  

▶ Applying smart safety devices to construction machinery... fundamentally preventing pedestrian collisions and equipment overturning accidents. ▶ Expanding the scope of cooperation to include verification of safety technologies and the supply of smart construction equipment. HD Construction Equipment is joining forces with Hyundai Engineering & Construction (Hyundai E&C) to accelerate cooperation in smart safety technology, aiming to create safer construction sites. On the 7th, HD Construction Equipment announced that it had signed a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Joint Development and Application of Smart Safety Technology for Construction Equipment." The signing took place at Hyundai E&C's headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with officials from both companies in attendance. This agreement aims to improve the safety management capabilities of construction equipment and to create a sustainable cooperation system built on the technological expertise and practical experience of both companies.      The two companies will collaborate on ▲supplying construction equipment, including excavators equipped with smart safety technology, ▲conducting technical consultations and promoting standardization to incorporate safety devices from the manufacturing stage, and ▲demonstrating and verifying construction equipment equipped with smart safety devices. HD Construction Equipment will provide advanced safety sensors and modules to be installed on Hyundai E&C's construction equipment currently in use. These devices include the Smart Around View Monitor (SAVM), which utilizes AI-based cameras to detect and alert operators about individuals in the vicinity of the equipment, and the Overload Warning Device (OWD), which continuously measures the weight of the load and the tilt of the equipment in real-time to prevent loss of balance and potential overturning. Beginning in the second half of this year, "Smart Excavators" with next-generation safety technologies will be gradually introduced at various sites. These smart excavators will be equipped with advanced features, including collision warning, an auto stop function (E-STOP), and a "Virtual Wall." The Virtual Wall ensures that the equipment stays within a designated virtual boundary, even in the event of operator error. Choi Tae-geun, Executive Vice President of HD Construction Equipment’s Sales Division, stated, "Through this collaboration, we will continue to expand the distribution of AI-based safety solutions and smart construction equipment, significantly improving practical safety at construction sites." 

▶ First universal autonomous navigation support system to receive TA, accelerating commercialization ▶ Validation from DNV over three years, expected to contribute to IMO autonomous navigation standards ▶ “HD Hyundai will advance the commercialization of autonomous navigation technology while leading the development of international standards” Avikus, the autonomous navigation subsidiary of HD Hyundai led by CEOs Kang Jae-ho and Lim Do-hyeong, is stepping up efforts to commercialize its vessel autonomy technologies. HD Hyundai said Tuesday that Avikus recently obtained Type Approval (TA) from DNV, the Norwegian classification society, for its Autonomous Navigation Support System, HiNAS Control.  HiNAS Control, which received the TA, is an integrated autonomous navigation support system that combines perception, decision-making and control functions, enabling it to detect nearby vessels and obstacles, assess navigation conditions and maneuver to avoid collisions. The approval marks the first time a mass-produced autonomous navigation support system designed for use across multiple vessel types, rather than a specific ship or project, has received international certification. With the TA, HiNAS Control can be installed without additional verification, improving deployment efficiency and is expected to enhance confidence among global shipowners. Avikus worked with DNV for more than three years to define safety requirements for its autonomous navigation support system and establish a verification framework. Under its guidelines, DNV systematically evaluated the system's collision avoidance capabilities, which are rooted in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), by comprehensively verifying the system alarms, navigational information display, and ship control performance. At a time when international standards for autonomous navigation have not yet been fully established, this case of third-party verification by DNV is expected to be highly beneficial for the establishment of future regulations. With discussions underway at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the non-mandatory Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Code, the approval and its framework could also inform the development of more detailed technical standards. The approval is expected to enable Avikus to respond more effectively to evolving global regulations, while positioning HiNAS Control as a standard technology in the autonomous navigation market. “HiNAS Control’s Type Approval is a major milestone, marking it as one of the first systems to bring autonomous navigation technology beyond the conceptual stage and into commercialization,” Vidar Dolonen, Korea and Japan Region Manager of DNV, said. “This Type Approval demonstrates that Avikus’ autonomous navigation technology has achieved global standards of safety and reliability,” Lim Do-hyeong, CEO of Avikus, said. “Building on synergies with HD Hyundai Group, we will continue to advance commercialization and lead the development of international standards.” HiNAS Control has been applied as a standard specification on vessels built by HD Hyundai since 2023 and has surpassed 500 cumulative orders to date.