Doosan Fuel Cell Promotes Joint Development of Fuel Cells for Ships With Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering

Doosan FuelCell signed an MOU with Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding, a shipbuilding holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, to jointly develop an “eco-friendly” fuel cell ship.

On the 18th, the ceremony was held at the Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Research Institute in Bundang First Tower.

A marine fuel cell is a high-efficiency power generation source that generates electricity from raw materials such as hydrogen and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and can increase the power generation efficiency by about 40% or more compared to existing marine engines .

In addition, it is a key technology in the era of eco-friendly ships in that it emits less various pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) and can reduce greenhouse gases . While the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% or less compared to 2050 and 2008 , the two companies will preemptively develop fuel cells for ships to secure a competitive advantage in the shipbuilding industry.

Sang-jin Moon, Managing Director of Doosan Fuel Cell, said, “The fuel cell for ships can replace not only the existing power generation engine but also the main propulsion engine, and through EMS*, energy efficiency can be improved.”

In addition, he said, “Doosan Fuel Cell will strive to develop fuel cells that can be used in a variety of applications besides power generation and ship use .

*EMS (Energy Management System): An abbreviation for energy management system, IT software that controls energy efficiency to be increased.

Meanwhile, Doosan FuelCell decided to develop a ‘Korean-style high-efficiency SOFC’ in October of last year, and is carrying out a national project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy with the goal of domestic mass production of a Korean-style SOFC system from 2024 .