Kawasaki Heavy Industries has signed a contract with Japan Suiso Energy (JSE) to build the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen carrier, a vessel intended to support the future commercial transport of hydrogen.

The ship will have a cargo capacity of about 40,000 cubic metres and will be built at Kawasaki’s Sakaide Works in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan.

JSE is acting as the operator for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund project.

The project aims to demonstrate ship-to-base loading and unloading of liquefied hydrogen and to carry out ocean-going trials by the fiscal year ending March 2031.

These trials are planned to confirm performance, safety, durability, reliability and economic feasibility.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has previous experience in liquefied hydrogen transport. In 2021, the company built the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, the 1,250-cubic-metre Suiso Frontier.

In 2022, the vessel took part in a pilot demonstration between Japan and Australia, which successfully showed that liquefied hydrogen could be safely loaded, transported and unloaded.

The company has indicated that the new vessel has been designed to meet the expected increase in global hydrogen demand in the 2030s. It is intended to play a key role in forming a commercial-scale liquefied hydrogen supply chain.

The carrier will be equipped with cargo tanks capable of storing around 40,000 cubic metres of liquefied hydrogen.

A high-performance insulation system will be used to reduce boil-off gas caused by heat entering from outside, allowing efficient transport of cryogenic hydrogen.

The vessel will feature an electric propulsion system that includes a hydrogen and oil dual-fuel generator engine as well as a conventional oil-fired generator engine.

It will also be fitted with a hydrogen gas supply system, including a compressor and heat exchanger, enabling boil-off gas from the cargo tanks to be reused as fuel and reducing carbon dioxide emissions during transport.

A cargo handling system designed for large-volume liquefied hydrogen transfer will be installed. Double-wall, vacuum-jacketed piping will maintain extremely low temperatures during loading and unloading operations between the vessel and onshore facilities.

The ship’s hull shape and draft have been designed to account for the low density of liquefied hydrogen, reducing power requirements and improving propulsion efficiency.

Risk assessments have been carried out on the hydrogen fuel system, fuel supply system and cargo handling systems, with safety measures included to protect the crew, the environment and the vessel’s structural integrity.

The vessel is expected to operate alongside onshore infrastructure, including a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal currently under construction at Ogishima in Kawasaki City.

Reference: Kawasaki