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Top 3 shipbuilders to showcase eco-friendly vessels at Gastech
An illustration of HD Hyundai's exhibition booth for the Gastech 2025 Exhibition & Conference in Milan / Courtesy of HD Hyundai
By Park Jae-hyuk
HD Hyundai CEO to visit Milan to meet global shipping industry leaders
Korea’s three leading shipbuilders will take part in the world’s largest gas technology exhibition this week, presenting advanced solutions for eco-friendly vessels and sustainable offshore engineering.
HD Hyundai said Tuesday that six of its affiliates will attend the Gastech 2025 Exhibition & Conference, which runs from Tuesday to Friday in Milan.
The company will send Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Chung Ki-sun to the event, along with executives and staff in sales, research and development and engineering, to present the company’s green technologies to global shipping firms and ship classification societies.
According to HD Hyundai, classification societies including DNV will grant an approval in principle (AIP) for the Korean firm’s next-generation gas carrier design, which places the crew accommodation block at the forward section to maximize upper deck space. The layout allows for multiple wind-assisted propulsion systems to boost fuel efficiency, the company said.
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) will grant an AIP for HD Hyundai’s VesselWise solution, which autonomously optimizes equipment operation without crew intervention, and for the company’s product design assessment, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize boil-off gas handling during voyages.
HD Hyundai will also sign partnerships with Consilium of Sweden to test the HiCAMS safety system’s fire detection capabilities and with Lloyd’s Register to convert a liquefied petroleum gas carrier to an ammonia dual-fuel vessel.
A technical seminar is scheduled for Wednesday to introduce HD Hyundai’s latest eco-friendly and AI-enabled technologies for more efficient gas carriers.
"Through continuous investment and innovation we’re going to lead the era of carbon-neutral shipping," an HD Hyundai official said.
Miniature ships are on display at Samsung Heavy Industries' exhibition booth for the Gastech 2025 Exhibition & Conference in Milan. Courtesy of Samsung Heavy Industries
Samsung Heavy Industries will receive AIPs from the ABS and the Liberian Registry for its 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier powered by a molten salt reactor, which can improve stability and energy efficiency.
The company’s offshore windfarm substructure and other eco-friendly vessels will also earn certifications from global classification societies at the event.
On Wednesday, Samsung Heavy Industries will sign a partnership with Eastern Pacific Shipping in Singapore to manage major shipboard equipment using digital twin technology.
Hanwha Ocean plans to display a model of its 174,500-cubic-meter carbon-free LNG carrier, powered by electricity generated from an ammonia gas turbine and using no pilot oil.
The company will also showcase models of its ice-breaking LNG carrier, 18,000-cubic-meter LNG bunkering vessel and floating production, storage and offloading unit for LNG.