Hanwha Ocean Co. has announced plans to develop an ultra-large ammonia carrier as part of its strategy to lead the eco-friendly shipbuilding market and outpace Chinese competitors.

At Nor-Shipping 2025 in Oslo on Tuesday, local time, Hanwha Ocean signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Korea Register (KR) and DNV, aiming to strengthen cooperation on green technologies.

The company plans to develop a 150,000-cubic-meter-class ultra-large ammonia carrier with KR. Currently, the largest ammonia carriers in operation are 93,000 cubic meters.

Ammonia is considered a key fuel for the carbon-free era, as it produces no carbon dioxide when burned. It can also be easily converted into hydrogen, making it one of the most economical means of transporting hydrogen. Hanwha Ocean aims to secure an early lead in this growing market by developing larger ammonia carriers.

Hanwha Ocean also signed an MOU with KR to enhance the efficiency of LNG carriers, focusing on bow-accommodation design, which relocates crew living quarters from the stern to the bow.

With DNV, Hanwha Ocean will pursue manganese-based fuel tank technology, which significantly reduces production costs compared to traditional nickel-based tanks.

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