South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) is leading a project to recycle evaporated gas emitted during the construction of liquefied natural gas-powered ships into city gas. The company plans to recover boil-off gas from a 7,900 TEU LNG-fueled containership under construction and use it as an energy source at its worksites. This initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is part of a national task established by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy in 2023.
During the commissioning phase of LNG-powered ships, the evaporated gas, mainly methane, is released into the atmosphere to manage the pressure in the fuel tank. To address this issue, HD KSOE and HD HHI collaborated to recycle the evaporated gas into onshore city gas. However, due to the lack of relevant laws and standards, HD HHI had to apply for a regulatory sandbox demonstration exemption from MOTIE. The project received conditional approval on October 23, 2024, with a demonstration period lasting from March 31, 2025, to March 30, 2027.
To ensure the safety and stability of the demonstration project, HD HHI established ‘Demonstration Special Case Safety Standards’ in consultation with the Korea Gas Safety Corporation. The company also purchased a new gas accident liability insurance policy to cover any potential human and material damages. By implementing this innovative approach, HD HHI is creating an environment where evaporated gas from ships under construction can be recovered and used for self-consumption as city gas within the workplace, contributing to environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
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