Samsung Heavy Industries Wins Approval for Battery Hybrid System to Cut Shuttle Tanker Fuel Costs

Approval in Principle from DNV for battery hybrid system
Lower engine loads expected to reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions

Samsung Heavy Industries has obtained Approval in Principle (AIP) for a hybrid system for shuttle tankers that uses batteries to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The technology combines batteries with conventional engines to reduce the fuel needed to maintain a vessel's position and improve operational stability.

Samsung Heavy Industries' exhibition booth at Offshore Korea 2026. Samsung Heavy Industries.

Samsung Heavy Industries said on October 14 that it had obtained AIP from Norwegian classification society DNV for its "Shuttle Tanker Battery Hybrid System" at Offshore Korea 2026, the 2026 International Offshore Plant Industry Exhibition, held at BEXCO in Busan.

Offshore Korea is the largest offshore industry exhibition in Korea. It has been held every two years since 2012, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Busan Metropolitan City.

Shuttle tankers transport crude oil produced at offshore oil fields. While receiving crude oil at sea, they must operate small propulsion units called thrusters to maintain a steady position. Because they typically need to hold their position for two to three days, they consume fuel continuously.

The system developed by Samsung Heavy Industries features additional batteries installed on the vessel to supply the power needed for position keeping. It is designed to use the engines and batteries together to reduce engine loads and ensure a stable power supply.

The system is expected to reduce fuel costs and costs associated with carbon emissions. Even if an existing thruster encounters a problem, the batteries can serve as an auxiliary power source, minimizing delays to crude oil loading operations.

The exhibition booth will also showcase the company's self-developed design automation platform, "S-EDH," and automated pipe-welding technology. In addition, models of the Delfin floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) production facility and a floating data center (FDC), both under construction at its Geoje Shipyard, will be displayed to highlight the company's technological competitiveness in the offshore plant sector.

Kim Seunghyeok, head of Samsung Heavy Industries' Machinery Design Team and an executive, said, "The hybrid operation of batteries and engines enables a stable power supply." He added, "We will continue to expand the development of eco-friendly solutions, including those that minimize carbon emissions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.