Reuters: Kawasaki Heavy says liquefied hydrogen carrier may leave Japan this month
The $353 million pilot project will deliver hydrogen from Australia to Japan as part of a pilot project backed by the Japanese and Australian governments.
The world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier – named the Suiso Frontier – could leave Japan for Australia to pick up its first cargo of hydrogen in late-December 2021.
The $353 million pilot project, led by Kawasaki and backed by the Japanese and Australian governments, will transport liquified hydrogen produced from brown coal and liquefied in Australia’s Victoria state in a test project that aims to show liquefied hydrogen can be produced and exported safely to Japan. The Suiso Frontier has been registered by ClassNK, a ship classification society.
Japan’s government unveiled an ambitious goal in December 2020 to boost its annual hydrogen demand to 3 million tonnes by 2030 and 20 million tonnes by 2050 – up from just 2 million tonnes currently.
According to reports, Kawasaki aims to build 80 hydrogen carriers to import 9 million tonnes of hydrogen a year by 2050, after building 2 commercial-scale ships to import 225,000 tonnes by 2030. It’s targeting overall hydrogen-related sales of 120 billion yen ($1.16 billion) in 2030 and 300 billion yen in 2040.
The Suiso Frontier will transport 75 tonnes of hydrogen, which is enough to fill the tanks of 15,000 fuel cell vehicles.
