World's First Liquefied Hydrogen Maritime Transport from Australia to Japan... "Signal for International Hydrogen Trade"

"Liquefied Hydrogen Carrier 'Suiso Frontier' Arrives at Kobe Port on 24th"
"Korea, Active in Carbon Neutrality, to Become Major Liquefied Hydrogen Importer"

The world's first hydrogen transport ship, Suiso Frontier, built by Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, departed from Kobe Port, Japan, and arrived at Hastings Port in Victoria, Australia, on the 20th of last month (local time). (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Energy information analysis company S&P Global Platts announced on the 23rd that the world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier ship, "Suiso Frontier," which departed from Hastings Port in Australia on the 28th of last month, is expected to arrive at Kobe Port, Japan, around the 24th.

Suiso Frontier is a vessel built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan as part of the HESC project, a lignite hydrogen project jointly conducted by the Japanese and Australian governments and industry. It has a capacity to transport a total of 750,000 tons of liquefied hydrogen, equivalent to 9,000 GJ (gigajoules) of energy. The liquefied hydrogen loaded on the ship was produced by cooling hydrogen extracted from lignite to minus 253 degrees Celsius. The amount of carbon dioxide generated in this process was reduced through carbon emission trading. HESC plans to produce up to 225,000 tons per year of carbon-neutral liquefied hydrogen by around 2030, when liquefied hydrogen transportation is expected to be commercialized, not by trading carbon emission rights as now but by introducing CCS (carbon capture and storage) technology.

According to Platts, the voyage of Suiso Frontier is expected to be recorded as the first export demonstration of transporting hydrogen by ship. Platts predicted that if carbon-neutral hydrogen, which started from relatively cheap regions like Australia, can be transported to East Asia, the timing of establishing a global hydrogen supply chain can be accelerated. According to Platts, as of the 21st, the price of carbon-neutral hydrogen was $4.05 per kg in Australia and $6.15 per kg in Northeast Asia. Australia is about 34% cheaper.

Platts anticipated that South Korea will emerge as a major long-term importer of liquefied hydrogen due to its active implementation of carbon-neutral policies and significant expansion of hydrogen energy demand. Ankit Sachan, a hydrogen and energy transition analyst at Platts, said, "According to the South Korean government's hydrogen economy activation roadmap, by 2040, hydrogen fuel cells for power generation and residential use will be expanded to 15 GW and 2.1 GW respectively, and 6.2 million hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be produced." He added, "Since South Korea is promoting hydrogen economy cooperation with Australia and is geographically close, if liquefied hydrogen transportation is commercialized and imports follow, it can be immediately utilized in various fields."

However, Platts conveyed that several technical issues must be resolved by 2030, when liquefied hydrogen transportation is expected to be commercialized. This is because cooling hydrogen to minus 253 degrees Celsius for liquefaction requires considerable energy and cost. Above all, the need for infrastructure that can prevent gasification over long periods is a burden. Sachan advised, "Since imported hydrogen is expected to account for a large portion in South Korea's energy transition process, it is necessary to invest heavily in securing ship technology for hydrogen import and building domestic infrastructure." He added, "Facilities equipped with gasification prevention systems such as liquefied hydrogen receiving bases and storage facilities, as well as transportation means like pipelines, tube trailers, and cryogenic tanks for domestic supply, must be established."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.