South Korea completed the world's most comprehensive national shipping decarbonization — retrofitting or replacing all 2,847 vessels in its domestic coastal and ferry fleet to operate on green ammonia fuel, eliminating 3.2 million tonnes of annual marine diesel consumption from Korean territorial waters entirely.
Hyundai Heavy Industries developed dual-fuel ammonia retrofit kits compatible with existing diesel marine engines, allowing conversion without vessel replacement. Each retrofit installs ammonia fuel tanks, injection systems, and catalytic decomposition units that crack ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen at the engine inlet — preventing toxic ammonia vapor release while delivering clean combustion. The Korean government provided 60 percent retrofit cost subsidies to accelerate adoption, with the full fleet conversion completing in 36 months from program launch.
Green ammonia for the fleet is produced at dedicated electrolysis plants in Pohang and Ulsan powered by offshore wind, with seawater providing hydrogen feedstock through electrolysis and nitrogen from air separation units. South Korea now exports surplus ammonia to Japan and Singapore, creating a Northeast Asian green maritime fuel trading network.
Source: Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering, South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea Maritime Institute, 2025
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