A memorandum of understanding has been signed by the American Bureau of Shipping, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Siemens to develop digital twin technology for ammonia-fuelled vessels, MarineLink Maritime News reported on 1 October 2026.
The agreement, announced on 1 October 2026, brings together a classification society, a shipbuilder and an industrial technology firm under a joint development framework. The collaboration is described in the report as focused on creating a digital twin capable of assessing leak behaviour and safety aboard ammonia-fuelled ships.
The partners say the work will centre on digital twin technology that models and evaluates the behaviour of ammonia in the event of a leak and supports safety assessments. The memorandum of understanding establishes the parties’ intent to co‑operate on technology development rather than committing to a specific commercial product or deployment schedule.
Collaboration scope
Under the terms reported, the three organisations will pool expertise to develop modelling capability for ammonia-fuelled vessel systems. The digital twin effort is intended to address leak behaviour and related safety questions by simulating scenarios and informing risk assessment.
Safety and assessment focus
The stated purpose of the digital twin is to enhance the assessment of leak behaviour and to support safety evaluations on ships using ammonia as fuel. The memorandum frames the work as a technical collaboration to explore how virtual modelling can inform design, operations and emergency response planning for ammonia applications.
The partners named in the report are the American Bureau of Shipping, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Siemens. MarineLink Maritime News provided the account of the memorandum of understanding on 1 October 2026; the report gives the collaboration’s scope in concise terms but does not set out a timetable or deliverables.
The announcement marks a further instance of cross‑sector cooperation aimed at developing technologies to address fuel and safety challenges in shipping. The report does not attribute quotations to individual signatories nor does it indicate when prototypes or trials might appear.
The memorandum as reported is a planning and development step rather than a final technical specification. Observers will expect subsequent announcements to describe technical milestones, testing plans and any regulatory engagement arising from the joint work.
Editor profile