- SHI signed an MOU with HMM and PANASIA to conduct an onboard demonstration.

- SHI aims to commercialize a system that boosts waste-heat recovery efficiency while reducing carbon emissions to meet tightening environmental regulations.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) announced on the 18th that it has signed an agreement with HMM and PANASIA to conduct an offshore demonstration of its independently developed Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based Waste-Heat Recovery Power System (hereinafter “ORC Waste-Heat Recovery System”).

*ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle): A power-generation system that uses an organic working fluid—one that vaporizes at lower temperatures than water—to convert waste heat into electricity.

SHI’s newly developed variable-pressure ORC Waste-Heat Recovery System is an eco-friendly energy solution designed to maximize the recovery of low-to-medium temperature waste heat (70–300°C) generated on vessels and convert it into electrical power.

Conventional steam-based waste-heat recovery systems used on ships rely on high-temperature heat sources (300–600°C), making it difficult to utilize the abundant low-to-medium temperature waste heat available on board.

Before proceeding to the offshore demonstration, SHI completed land-based testing of the system and received technology certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in May this year.

Under the agreement, SHI, HMM, and PANASIA will form a joint working group. A 250-kW ORC Waste-Heat Recovery System will be installed on an HMM-operated 16,000-TEU container vessel, with full-scale offshore demonstration scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026.

As Korea’s first offshore demonstration of this kind, the three companies expect annual savings of 230 tons of fuel and 700 tons of CO₂, while validating waste-heat recovery performance, securing operational data, and assessing technical and economic feasibility.

“This demonstration represents a significant step toward the commercialization of waste-heat recovery power technologies,” stated Ho-ki Lee, Green Energy Technology Center Director of SHI. “We will continue advancing eco-friendly solutions that boost energy efficiency while reducing carbon emissions.”