Major companies unite to develop liquefied hydrogen shipping

Four major companies are working together to develop a system for transporting liquid hydrogen by sea in bulk, with the aim of creating a viable supply chain.

PHOTO: Computer-generated image of the liquefied hydrogen carrier. HD Korea Shipbuilding

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Woodside Energy, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering and Hyundai Glovis plan to have a debut vessel operational by 2030.

They aim to create a liquefied hydrogen carrier with an 80,000 cbm tank capacity to transport the fuel across Asia.

The participating companies will study the carrier's technology, safety, construction, operation and economics to ensure its success.

However, it has not been confirmed whether it will be built with propulsion from hydrogen fuel cells, or if the hydrogen will power the vessel in another way.

Developing liquefied hydrogen shipping that works is a significant part of Japan's Basic Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen. Japan has set a target of producing 3 million mt/year of hydrogen by 2030 and 20 million mt/year of hydrogen by 2050, with hydrogen as a substitute for fossil fuels.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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