Samsung focusing on eco-friendly newbuildings

SHI says that this will make it the first shipbuilder in the industry to declare a green management policy that includes a detailed vision for the development of eco-friendly products and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

In relation to its green management plan, SHI announced three key strategies which consist of the development of eco-friendly ships with up to 30% less greenhouse gas emissions, the development of green workplaces and green networks, and the development of zero-energy homes.

As the first step towards these objectives, the shipbuilder aims by 2015 to design the optimal shape of ships that will maximise fuel efficiency, and to develop diverse technologies to improve energy efficiency, including heat recovery systems and low-temperature combustion devices, in order to reduce the greenhouse emissions of its ships.

In particular, SHI has set a goal of building what it claims will be the world’s first eco-friendly ship, by developing LNG and hydrogen fuel cells, superconductor electric-powered motors and cables, and CO₂ collection technology, jointly with universities and private research centres. Samsung has applied the environmental technologies that it is developing to its current 13,000 TEU-class container ships and simulations show that these technologies shouldl reduce greenhouse emissions by up to 30%.

The company says that expert predictions indicate that companies entering the green technology shipbuilding market early will lead the shipbuilding and marine transportation industries in the future, as ships account for 3.3% of CO₂ emissions worldwide, and IMO is introducing standards for the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions of ships.