Hanwha Aerospace ventures into eco-friendly ship market

South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace Co. announced on Thursday that it has completed the development of a megawatt-hour (MWh) energy storage system (ESS).

Developed in partnership with Hanwha Ocean Co., the lithium-ion battery-based ESS can be deployed on large vessels, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and container ships.

This hybrid power system, which links ESS with the existing internal combustion engines on ships, promises not only to conserve fuel but also to mitigate emissions of pollutants during operation.

The ESS includes advanced features such as container-type packaging technology which allows the control system to be consolidated into one compact unit. It also incorporates an 'automatic extinguishing' technology for rapid detection and suppression of ESS fires.

Hanwha Ocean, leveraging its extensive experience in shipbuilding and eco-friendly ship technology, steered the ESS verification testing and product refinement.

As part of its future-forward strategy, Hanwha Aerospace is actively preparing to penetrate the burgeoning global market for eco-friendly ships. This sector is likely to experience significant growth driven by more stringent greenhouse gas emission regulations.

Moreover, the company intends to acquire core ESS technologies with potential applications in urban air mobility (UAM), an initiative spearheaded by its subsidiary, Hanwha Systems Co.

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