DNV Awards Aip To HD HHI For Vessel Designs With

At the AiP handover at Gastech 2025 (from left): Jae Hun Lim, DNV, Sung Ho Shin, DNV, Jung Sik Kim, LISCR, Thomas Klenum, EVP, LISCR, Hongryeul Ryu, CTO of HD HHI, Vidar Dolonen, Regional Manager, DNV, Chul Young Kang, DNV, Tae Kyung Im, LISCR. © DNV

At Gastech 2025, DNV awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) for the design of next-generation LNG carriers (LNGC) and Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLEC) with forward accommodation and Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS). 

The designs, featuring 174K LNGCs and 100K VLECs (Ethane/LPG carriers), are the first from HD HHI to combine a forward accommodation layout with the integration of tiltable rotor sails. The LNGC design will be equipped with four tiltable rotor sails from Norsepower, while the VLEC design will incorporate two. Those two designs have been assessed for principle compliance with DNV’s WAPS notation, DNV Rules Pt.6 Ch.2 Sec.12.

By utilizing the forward accommodation concept, the vessels are designed to minimize some of the challenges related to onboard WAPS installations, for example COLREG compliance and reduced visibility, while maximizing the efficiency benefits of wind-assisted propulsion, through enhanced fuel efficiency and emissions reductions.

An Approval in Principle (AiP) is an independent evaluation of a concept based on a predefined framework of requirements. It confirms the feasibility of the design and ensures there are no significant technical obstacles hindering its implementation.