Lloyd’s Register (LR) is collaborating with the Pusan National University Hydrogen Ship Technology Center to create the first internationally recognized joint performance evaluation and certification framework for liquid hydrogen carriers and onboard systems.
The partnership was formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed by PNU president Jae-Won Choi and LR CEO Nick Brown in Seoul.
While hydrogen continues to attract attention as a potential zero-carbon fuel option, progress in the maritime sector has slowed due to a lack of agreed standards for testing and verification. Liquid hydrogen presents specific technical challenges, requiring storage at around -253°C and placing extreme demands on materials, containment systems and safety design.
The new framework is intended to provide a consistent, globally applicable basis for evaluating performance, safety and reliability, helping to reduce uncertainty at the design and approval stages of projects.
The collaboration will deliver a structured certification regime covering containment systems, materials and onboard infrastructure for liquid hydrogen storage and transportation. The framework is expected to support early-stage vessel and containment projects moving from concept design toward approval and construction.
Under the agreement, the two organizations will jointly evaluate the cryogenic and insulation performance of storage tanks and associated piping systems, verify structural integrity under operational loads, and carry out detailed safety and risk assessments for onboard storage and transportation systems.
The collaboration will also define testing methodologies and certification procedures tailored specifically to marine environments, to inform future class rules and international regulatory development.
Claudene Sharp‑Patel, global technical director at Lloyd’s Register, said, “As pressure mounts on shipping to decarbonize, the introduction of a clear and technically robust certification pathway for liquid hydrogen systems is expected to accelerate project development and reduce barriers to entry. By aligning testing, verification and certification under a recognized framework, our partnership with PNU aims to provide the level of assurance required for shipowners, yards and regulators to advance liquid hydrogen from concept to commercial reality.”
Dr Jae-Myung Lee, director of the PNU Hydrogen Ship Technology Center, said, “This agreement effectively designates PNU’s Hydrogen Ship Technology Center as a liquid hydrogen performance evaluation and certification institution by Lloyd’s Register, the world’s leading classification and technical certification organization in the maritime sector. It marks the establishment of the world’s first certification body in the liquid hydrogen field.”
The collaboration builds on an existing program of joint research between LR and PNU into cryogenic engineering for liquid hydrogen carriers and technical knowledge exchange between specialists from both organizations.
In related news, Lloyd’s Register report finds LNG remains cruise shipping’s most mature alternative fuel