HVAC & Refrigeration Services in South Korea.

Marine HVAC and refrigeration services

Marine HVAC and refrigeration services keep accommodation air conditioning, provision cold rooms, galley refrigeration, control-room and electrical-room cooling, and cargo refrigeration plant working reliably between dry-dockings. These systems protect crew welfare, food safety, temperature-sensitive electronics, and in some trades the cargo itself. Salt air, vibration, cramped plant rooms and variable seawater temperatures make marine plant harder to keep in balance than shore installations.

vslSafety coordinates a suitable refrigeration contractor at the vessel’s port and sizes the attendance around the fault, the refrigerant involved, and the time alongside.

Regulatory requirements and standards

Refrigerant handling on ships is governed mainly by environmental rules. MARPOL Annex VI regulation 12 prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). New installations containing ODS other than HCFCs have been prohibited since 19 May 2005, and new installations containing HCFCs such as R22 since 1 January 2020. Existing HCFC systems may continue to operate and be recharged, but ships holding an IAPP Certificate must keep a list of equipment containing ODS and, where rechargeable ODS systems are fitted, an ODS Record Book recording supply, recharging, repair, discharge and disposal. Recovered gas that is not reused on board should be landed to an appropriate reception facility.

Most modern plant uses HFCs such as R134a, R404A, R407C or R507, which are not ozone-depleting but have high global-warming potential. Their supply is being cut under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and, in Europe, under Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, which replaced Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 from 11 March 2024. That regulation expects operators of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment on ships to prevent leakage, repair leaks without undue delay and recover refrigerant rather than vent it; how its individual obligations apply to a particular vessel depends on flag and trading pattern, so confirm them with the flag administration and your technical department. National technician certification rules often apply to anyone who breaks into a refrigerant circuit in port.

Crew welfare adds a further driver. MLC, 2006 Standard A3.1 requires air conditioning of seafarer accommodation on most ships outside regular temperate-climate trades, and Regulation 3.2 inspections look at provision storage conditions.

Inspection and servicing intervals

What the service includes

• Performance survey using suction and discharge pressures, superheat, subcooling, motor current, air and water temperatures, and alarm history
• Positive identification of the refrigerant before any recovery, top-up or mixing
• Electronic, bubble or tracer leak detection, followed by nitrogen pressure testing after repair
• Refrigerant recovery into certified cylinders, evacuation, dehydration and weighed recharging
• Compressor, valve, expansion device, filter-drier, fan, pump, condenser and evaporator repairs or replacement
• Cold-room checks: insulation, door gaskets, defrost, alarms and man-trapped systems; air-handling unit cleaning, filters and air balancing
• Controls, thermostats, sensors and starter panels, with support from marine electrical and automation engineers where needed
• Service report with readings, refrigerant quantities recovered and charged, parts used and outstanding defects, ready for ODS Record Book entries

Equipment and system types covered

Typical work covers central accommodation air conditioning (direct-expansion or chilled-water), package units for bridge, control and switchboard rooms, provision and galley refrigeration, and on some ships cargo or reefer plant. Makers commonly encountered include Heinen & Hopman, Novenco, Bitzer, Sabroe, Daikin, Carrier and Danfoss controls, among many others. Legacy R22 installations remain on older tonnage, while newer ships increasingly use lower-GWP HFC blends or natural refrigerants such as CO2 (R744) and, on some fishing vessels, ammonia (R717).

Common defects and PSC deficiencies

• ODS Record Book missing, incomplete or not matching refrigerant purchases and cylinders on board
• ODS equipment list in the IAPP Supplement not reflecting current installations
• Evidence of repeated top-ups without a located leak, suggesting deliberate or uncontrolled emissions
• Provision rooms outside temperature range, damaged door seals, ice build-up and inoperative man-trapped alarms, which MLC inspections regularly pick up
• Mixed or unidentified refrigerants in a circuit, corroded condenser tubes and fouled coils

Certificates and documents you receive

Expect a technical service report listing measurements before and after work, a refrigerant log showing type and quantity recovered and charged, leak test results, parts replaced, and remaining recommendations. Where the contractor lands recovered gas, request the reception or disposal receipt. The report supports the master’s ODS Record Book entries and any F-gas records required by flag or national rules. Technician refrigerant-handling certificates can be supplied on request.

How to prepare the vessel

• Collect trend readings, alarm codes and a short fault history before the technician boards
• Confirm the refrigerant type from the nameplate and the charge quantity from drawings
• Check which spares, filter-driers, oil and refrigerant are on board
• Plan temporary storage for provisions if a cold-room plant must be stopped
• Arrange isolation, permits and access, and allow time for evacuation; rushed dehydration causes repeat failures

Information needed for a quotation

• Vessel name, IMO number, flag, port, and ETA/ETD or berth window
• System affected (AC, provision, galley, cargo), maker, model and serial number of the main units
• Refrigerant type, charge quantity and whether ODS is involved
• Fault description, alarm codes, pressures and temperatures recorded
• Last service date and recent repairs
• Spares and refrigerant on board, and whether refrigerant supply or recovered-gas landing is needed

vslSafety coordinates a suitable local refrigeration provider at the vessel’s port and confirms the scope, attendance time and cost before mobilisation.

Frequently asked questions

Do ships still use R22?

Yes, many older ships still run R22 plant. MARPOL Annex VI regulation 12 has prohibited new installations containing HCFCs since 1 January 2020, but existing systems may continue to operate and be recharged. The practical problem is supply: R22 is increasingly scarce and expensive, and some ports restrict its sale. Owners with ageing R22 plant often plan a retrofit to an HFC or lower-GWP refrigerant, which requires compatible oil, expansion devices and seals, and a change to the ODS equipment list and records.

What must be recorded in the ODS Record Book?

For rechargeable systems containing ozone-depleting substances, the book records supply of ODS to the ship, recharging (full or partial), repairs and maintenance, discharge to atmosphere whether deliberate or not, discharge to land-based reception facilities, and supply of ODS ashore. Entries should give dates, equipment, quantities and signatures. The contractor’s service report should contain the figures the officer needs to make accurate entries.

Can a refrigerant leak be repaired while the plant runs?

Small leaks at flare nuts or valve glands can sometimes be tightened in service, but most repairs require the section to be isolated and pumped down or the charge recovered. After repair the circuit is pressure tested with dry nitrogen, evacuated and recharged by weight. Repeatedly topping up a leaking plant wastes gas and can be viewed as uncontrolled emission.

Does refrigeration equipment appear in the IHM?

It can. ODS such as CFCs and HCFCs are listed hazardous materials under the Hong Kong Convention and EU Ship Recycling Regulation, so equipment containing them should be reflected in the vessel’s inventory. Changes such as a refrigerant retrofit should be passed to the team handling IHM maintenance so Part I stays accurate.

How can we detect refrigerant leaks between visits?

Crew can monitor sight glasses, pressures and compressor running patterns. Fixed or portable refrigerant detectors in plant rooms give early warning, particularly for large charges or toxic refrigerants such as ammonia. Detector calibration can be arranged with gas detection equipment servicing during the same port call.