Delivered an oil tanker that acquired underwater radiation noise (URN) certification for the first time in the industry
 

- URN is one of the sources of marine pollution, and this is the first time that a cargo ship acquired certification.

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) built a 115,000 t crude oil carrier certified for URN regulations and delivered it to the shipowner.

According to KSOE, on March 31, 2021, HSHI, a subsidiary of KSOE, obtained the Silent E-notation, a certification for URN regulations from DNV, an international certification agency, for a 115,000 t class crude oil carrier and successfully delivered it to the shipowner.

The certification for URN regulations is for low-noise ships that have been applied only to special-purpose ships such as passenger ships. This is the first time that a cargo ship under the category of general commercial ships has obtained this certification.

URN is generated by ships in operation and transmitted to the water. It was acknowledged as one of the major sources of marine pollution caused by ships, along with exhaust gases and ships’ polluted water.

In particular, the noise from a ship’s propeller was pointed out as the major cause of disturbance of the marine ecosystem because its frequency band overlaps with the life frequency band of marine mammals such as dolphins.

KSOE said that as URN problems have become more serious because ships have recently become larger, IMO is progressing discussions to solve the noise problem and planning to establish practical regulatory measures.

KSOE also said that inquiries from shipowners about the construction of eco-friendly, low-noise ships and the certification for classification keep coming accordingly.

Since last year, KSOE has been developing technologies with KRISO and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to monitor and reduce URN of ships to protect the marine environment.

A KSOE official said, “Acquiring the certification this time is meaningful because we have successfully developed and applied a technology for the preservation of marine ecosystems beyond the construction of eco-friendly ships.” The official added that “As the market demand for ESG has increased, we will do our best to expand the market by preemptively securing relevant technologies.”