ABS, HD KSOE & Siemens MOU on digital twins for ammonia safety

Classification society ABS, South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and industrial technology firm Siemens have agreed a memorandum of understanding to develop digital twin technology aimed at assessing the safety of ammonia-fuelled vessels, the matter reported on 1 October 2026. citeturn0search0

The memorandum, signed by the three parties, sets out a collaborative effort to combine established computation methods with emerging virtual modelling approaches in order to address the particular safety questions associated with ships that use ammonia as a fuel. The partners are reported to be focusing specifically on the intersection of fluid dynamics simulation and digital-twin systems to inform safety assessments for ammonia-fuelled craft. citeturn0search0

Combining computational fluid dynamics with digital twins

The project described in the MOU pairs computational fluid dynamics analysis with digital twin technology, with the stated aim of producing models capable of rapidly predicting ammonia dispersion behaviour around a vessel. By joining CFD capability with a persistent, data-driven virtual representation, the partners aim to generate dynamic simulations that reflect how ammonia might move in and around ship structures. citeturn0search0

This technical approach is presented as a means of shortening the time between an engineering input and a usable prediction of dispersion patterns, enabling assessments of potential exposure and movement to be made more quickly than with standalone analyses. The MOU frames the work as an exercise in methodological integration rather than as a specification of operational systems or regulatory outcomes. citeturn0search0

Announcement and context

The memorandum was announced during Gastech 2026 and reported on 1 October 2026. The report specifies the three parties and the core technical intent but does not provide further operational details or a public timetable for development. citeturn0search0

According to the published account, the collaboration is intended to produce a capability for rapid prediction of ammonia dispersion behaviour by pairing established CFD methods with live or simulated data inside a digital twin framework. The memorandum therefore sets out a shared technical ambition rather than definitive product specifications or deployment plans. citeturn0search0

The announcement signals a coordinated interest by the three organisations in addressing the safety implications of ammonia as a maritime fuel through model-based assessment. reports’s report supplied the basic facts of the agreement and its focus on rapid prediction and modelling, leaving further technical and commercial details to the signatories. citeturn0search0