Busan, South Korea | November 25, 2025 – Alfa Laval Korea Ltd. has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hanwha Ocean Ecotech, marking a significant collaboration to develop safe and reliable ammonia fuel system solutions for dual-fuel vessels. Signed during Kormarine 2025, the partnership reinforces both global marine players’ commitment to accelerating the maritime industry’s transition to low-carbon and alternative fuel technologies.
The joint approach aims to secure early market opportunities and build a competitive advantage in the rapidly-growing field of ammonia as a marine fuel, leveraging the strengths of a global technology provider and a major South Korean marine engineering firm.
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Advancing Safe Ammonia Adoption
The core of the collaboration is the mutual ambition to advance safe and scalable ammonia fuel systems. This requires integrating complex fuel supply and safety mitigation technologies, where each partner brings specialized expertise:
- Alfa Laval’s Contribution: The company will contribute its proven capabilities in ammonia fuel and mitigation technologies, specifically its FCM Ammonia (Fuel Supply System) and the crucial Ammonia Release Mitigation System (ARMS), which manage the fuel’s unique handling and toxicity challenges.
- Hanwha Ocean Ecotech’s Contribution: Hanwha will apply its extensive experience in system engineering and integration, ensuring the safe and efficient installation and operation of these advanced systems on board dual-fuel vessels.
This partnership includes cooperation on business co-development, joint project opportunities, and an ambition to deliver a pilot installation to anchor future commercial work.
Securing Leadership in the Sustainable Shipbuilding Market
The MOU represents a strategic move to position both companies at the forefront of the Asian market, particularly in South Korea, one of the world’s most dominant shipbuilding nations.
Young-Gu Choi, Managing Director of Alfa Laval Korea, commented on the strategic importance:
“This MOU is more than just technical cooperation – it represents a strategic partnership to secure leadership in Korea and Asia’s sustainable shipbuilding market. By combining our strengths, we aim to accelerate the decarbonization of global shipping with safe and reliable ammonia fuel solutions.”
Chang-Keun Lee, CEO of Hanwha Ocean Ecotech, noted the value creation:
“Partnering with Alfa Laval is a significant opportunity to deliver safer and more efficient ammonia fuel systems to our customers. Through pilot projects and subsequent commercial projects, we will maximize synergies and bring greater value to the maritime industry.”
Driving Innovation through Broader Collaboration
The new collaboration with Hanwha complements Alfa Laval’s extensive portfolio of ammonia-focused partnerships:
- WinGD Partnership: Long-standing R&D collaboration that has successfully tested the FCM Ammonia, ARMS, and Fuel Valve Trains, laying the foundation for commercial rollout.
- K Shipbuilding/ABS Initiative: Collaboration with K Shipbuilding, WinGD, and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), where Alfa Laval contributed to the design of the entire fuel system, including an Aalborg ammonia dual-fuel boiler system designed to safely incinerate ammonia vent streams.
These initiatives collectively demonstrate Alfa Laval’s broad commitment to accelerating the safe adoption of ammonia through both internal innovations and industry-wide collaboration.
Hanwha Ocean Ecotech: Marine Engineering and System Integration
Hanwha Ocean Ecotech is a specialized entity within South Korea’s Hanwha Group industrial portfolio, focusing on marine engineering and environmental technology solutions. Leveraging the extensive capabilities of the Hanwha shipbuilding and equipment ecosystem, Hanwha Ocean Ecotech specializes in system engineering and integration for complex marine applications. Their focus is on delivering cutting-edge clean technology to the shipbuilding market, ensuring that advanced systems—such as those required for ammonia dual-fuel vessels—are safely and efficiently integrated to maximize productivity and safety for shipowners.
Alfa Laval in Brief
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of first-rate products in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling, with a strong focus on the marine industry. Founded 140 years ago in Sweden, the company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and operates in over 100 countries. For the maritime sector, Alfa Laval is actively engaged in decarbonizing the fleet, pioneering technologies like the FCM Ammonia system to enable the safe, efficient, and reliable use of new, low-carbon fuels like methanol and ammonia. The company is committed to optimizing processes and driving progress to support customers in achieving their business goals and sustainability targets.
Source: Alfa Laval