Japan’s MOL and South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries have received approval from classification society LR for the design of a 174,000-cbm LNG carrier equipped with solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology.
MOL said in a statement that the LNG carrier will be equipped with a 300kW SOFC, supplied by Bloom Energy, to be used as an auxiliary power generator.
Samsung Heavy will deliver the LNG carrier in 2027.
MOL noted that the installation of SOFC on vessels is still rare.
SOFC technology is a highly efficient, high-temperature process that converts fuels like natural gas, hydrogen, methanol, or ammonia directly into electricity and heat through an electro-chemical process – without burning them.
MOL said this energy conversion reduces the amount of fuel required to generate the same amount of electricity, resulting in lower GHG emissions.
In addition, since SOFC generates electricity without combustion, emissions of harmful gases such as NOx and SOx, as well as methane slip, can be “significantly reduced to negligible levels,” it said.
Since mid-2022, in collaboration with MOL and SHI, discussions and development of the application of 300kW of SOFC to the 174,000 LNG carrier as a pilot project have been ongoing.
In June 2024, MOL and SHI reached an agreement on a mutual application.
MOL said the system is expected to undergo joint equipment verification starting from early 2027.
MOL’s large fleet of LNG tankers expanded to 107 vessels as of the end of March this year.
This is one more LNG carrier than in the previous quarter and ten more LNG carriers than in the first quarter of 2024.
