World’s first Liquefied hydrogen carrier

World’s first Liquefied hydrogen carrier

The world's first liquefied hydrogen (LH2) carrier SUISO FRONTIER has entered into operation. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. has taken on the challenge of developing and building a ship that can carry cargo at the unprecedented low temperatures of minus 253 degrees Celsius. Hydrogen is expected to be used in power plant and fuel cell vehicles as a clean energy source that does not produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide during combustion. The cargo containment system with a 1,250 m3 capacity and vacuum-insulated double-shell-structure IMO Type C tank was newly developed by Kawasaki under the support of NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization), National Research and Development Agency of Japan. In cooperation with domestic and foreign manufacturers a variety of cargo equipment has also been developed for cryogenic use. As regulations for ships to ensure the safety of LH2 have not yet been established, Kawasaki designed the ship based on risk assessment methods such as HAZID and HAZOP. All the sets of cargo equipment on board have been tested using liquefied hydrogen at Kobe Hydrogen Demonstration Terminal for four months and their functions and performances were confirmed. The vessel is utilized for technology demonstrations to establish a global hydrogen energy supply chain, in which liquefied hydrogen produced in Australia will be shipped to Japan.