Lloyd’s Register – LR and Pusan National University – PNU Hydrogen Ship Technology Center have announced a new partnership to develop world-first approval structure that recognizes joint performance evaluation when it comes to liquid hydrogen carriers and onboard systems.
The partnership was formalized with a memorandum of understanding – MoU that was agreed upon by PNU President Jae-Won Choi and LR CEO Nick Brown in Seoul.
Hydrogen remains a promising zero-carbon fuel option, but progress in maritime has been hampered by a lack of consensus guidelines for testing and verification. Liquid hydrogen poses specific technical challenges, as it has to be stored at around -253°C and imposes extreme demands on materials, containment systems, and security design.
The new world-first approval structure aims to provide a consistent basis, worldwide, for the assessment of performance, safety, and dependability and will reduce the uncertainties in the design and approval phases of projects.
The partnership brings together LR’s maritime classification and assurance expertise and PNU’s research capabilities in cryogenic engineering to provide a structured certification regime for containment systems, materials, and onboard infrastructure for the storage and transport of liquid hydrogen. The framework is anticipated to help early-stage vessel and containment projects transition from concept design to approval as well as construction.
With the agreement, the two organizations will jointly assess the cryogenic and insulation performance when it comes to storage tanks and associated piping systems, confirm structural integrity under operational loads, and also conduct detailed safety and risk evaluations of onboard storage and transport systems.
The collaboration will also develop testing methodologies and certification procedures specific to the marine environment with the goal of advising future class rules and international regulatory development.
The Global Technical Director at Lloyd’s Register, Claudene Sharp‑Patel, said that “as pressure mounts on shipping to decarbonize, the introduction of a clear and technically robust certification pathway for liquid hydrogen systems is expected to accelerate project development and reduce barriers to entry. By aligning testing, verification, and certification under a recognized framework, our partnership with PNU aims to provide the level of assurance required for shipowners, yards, and regulators to advance liquid hydrogen from concept to commercial reality.”
The director of the PNU Hydrogen Ship Technology Center, Dr. Jae-Myung Lee, opined that “this agreement effectively designates PNU’s Hydrogen Ship Technology Center as a liquid hydrogen performance evaluation and certification institution by Lloyd’s Register, the world’s leading classification and technical certification organization in the maritime sector. It marks the establishment of the world’s first certification body in the liquid hydrogen field.”
The cooperation is based on a current program of joint research by LR and PNU in the area of cryogenic engineering for liquid hydrogen carriers, as well as the exchange of technical knowledge between specialists from both organizations.