Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Conrad Shipyard jointly received an approval in principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the basic design of a 12,000-cbm LNG bunkering barge currently under joint development.

The two companies had established a cooperation framework in December last year covering the joint construction of an LNG bunkering barge. The AiP reflects the completion of the vessel's concept design for construction in the United States.

The agreement was signed at the opening of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Center (KUSPC) in Washington, DC, on 23 July. The KUSPC was established under South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) with the stated aim of supporting joint research between Korean and US shipbuilders, while facilitating communication and collaboration between governments and industry.

The opening ceremony was attended by Jung Kwan Kim, Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, along with government and industry representatives from both countries. SHI was represented by Sung An Choi, Vice Chairman and CEO, and Kyung Hee Kim, Head of Future Business Division.

Sung An Choi, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, said: "Our shipbuilding cooperation initiatives with the United States, which we have been preparing for over the past several years, will reach a new milestone through today's opening of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Center. Leveraging our technological capabilities, we will do our utmost to usher in a new renaissance for the Korea-US shipbuilding and maritime industries."