Hanwha Ocean secures first order of year for ammonia carriers

South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Co., the world's third-largest shipbuilder, announced on Monday that it has secured a contract for two very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) worth 331.2 billion won ($247.2 million) from a shipowner in the Oceania region.

This marks the company's first order of the year, and in the past two months alone, it has successfully secured orders for a total of seven VLACs for the transportation of large amounts of ammonia, with each vessel capable of carrying 93,000 cubic meters of ammonia.

Notably, these ships will feature Hanwha Ocean's proprietary smart ship platform, HS4, and cutting-edge carbon reduction technologies like the shaft generator motor (SGM). The ammonia carriers will be built at the Geoje shipyard and are scheduled for delivery to the shipowner in the second half of 2027.

Hanwha Ocean is actively developing environmentally friendly vessels, aiming to lead the era of carbon-neutral shipping. The company is working on projects involving ammonia-powered ships, hydrogen-powered ships and hydrogen-fuel cell-powered ships.

"Through continuous technological development, we aim to establish standards in environmentally friendly shipbuilding technology," said an official from Hanwha Ocean.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com