Seoul, South Korea – February 3 – Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world’s largest shipbuilder and a leading marine engine maker, announced today that it produced the world’s first High Pressure Selective Catalytic Reduction (HP SCR) system for the dramatic reduction of NOx emission from 2-stroke marine engines.

The HP SCR can reduce NOx emission up to 99 percent by using ammonia as a catalyst, and thus complies with IMO NOx Tier III requirement that took effect in January 2016. The eco-friendly marine engine add-on already draws keen attention from major shipping companies in that it can run on heavy fuel oil that costs half as much as marine gas oil.

HHI completed the certificate test of the HP SCR, the fruit of an 18-month long research and development, in December 2015 with the presence of DNV-GL. The first HP SCR is slated to be installed in a 20,600 m³ LPG carrier under construction at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, a shipbuilding affiliate of HHI on February 5, 2016.

HHI won the orders of five HP SCR to date, and set the annual order target of more than 100 units by 2018.

In response to the harsh challenges in the shipbuilding industry, Hyundai Heavy industries is stepping up efforts to develop new technologies targeted at the market demands for ‘eco-friendly, more efficient and smarter ships.’