DNV awards AiP to SHI for 80K LH₂ carrier design

DNV has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for its 80,000m³ liquefied hydrogen (LH₂) carrier design. The AiP was formally presented by Vidar Dolonen, DNV Maritime Regional Manager for Korea & Japan, to CS Bang, Vice President of SHI, in a ceremony at Gastech 2025 in Milan.

SHI’s LH₂ carrier features a vacuum-insulated Type C tank system integrated with a robust hull and supporting structure. The design incorporates advanced materials and engineering solutions to enhance the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the vessel under extreme cryogenic conditions.

Some of the new design features include: the spherical tank shape, which has been optimized to reduce size and weight, the supports between the inner and outer tanks are made of glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFPR), to prevent heat influx and minimizing cargo losses due to boil-off gas (BOG) during the transport of cryogenic cargo. 

CS Bang, Vice President of SHI, said: “Receiving DNV’s AiP is a testament to our engineering capabilities and vision for hydrogen transport. We believe this vessel will play a vital role in building a global hydrogen supply chain.”

Vidar Dolonen, DNV’s Regional Manager Korea & Japan, said: “Building confidence in new technologies and new energy solutions, begins with building trust. By working closely together with innovative and future focused partners like SHI, utilizing our expertise and leading rule set, we can lay the groundwork for the next generation vessels that will be needed for the energy transition. We are proud to present them with this AiP and support the development of technologies that help to enable the transport of clean energy.”

At the handover at Gastech 2025 in Milan: Holding the certificate are Vidar Dolonen, Regional Manager of DNV Korea and Japan (left) and Chang-Seon Bang, Director, Cryogenic System Research Center, SHI.

An Approval in Principle (AiP) is an independent assessment of a concept within a defined framework of requirements. It confirms the feasibility of the design and verifies that no significant technical barriers exist to its implementation.