Samsung Heavy Industries Co. and Bloom Energy have announced an agreement to develop cleaner power for ships by jointly designing fuel cell-powered vessels that will reduce carbon emissions and help improve air quality. The plan is to initially develop eco-friendly vessels that carry liquefied natural gas and will be among the first in the industry, said Haeki Jang, vice president of shipbuilding and drilling sales engineering at Samsung Heavy Industries. The partners could eventually work to develop this type of power for container ships and tankers.
Global greenhouse emissions attributed to maritime operations surpass 2% — greater than those from some large economies. Moreover, said Bloom founder and Chief Executive Officer K.R. Sridhar, “Covid has clearly shown very starkly that, while we have been focused strongly on the [carbon-dioxide] in the atmosphere, in reality the air polluting emissions which cause tremendous harm to our health — our lungs — are particulates: sox [sulfur oxides] and nox [nitrogen oxides] and so on. It’s one of those ignored stories.”