Start of Liquefied Hydrogen Maritime Transport... A Step Closer to Hydrogen Trading

Australia to Japan World's First Transport
Transport Ship Arrives at Kobe Port on 24th

"Commercial Transport Expected by 2030
Korea to Become Major Importer"

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The world's first maritime transportation of liquefied hydrogen carriers has begun. It is also analyzed that South Korea will enhance its presence as a major importing country.

According to energy information analysis company S&P Global Platts on the 27th, the world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier ship, "Suiso Frontier," arrived at Kobe Port in Japan around the 24th. It took about a month since departing from Hastings Port in Australia on the 28th of last month. The ship was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan. It has a capacity to transport a total of 750,000 tons of liquefied hydrogen, equivalent to 9,000 GJ (gigajoules) of energy. The transportation was carried out as part of HESC, a joint project between the two governments.

Platts predicted that liquefied hydrogen transportation will be commercialized around 2030. If carbon-neutral hydrogen, which departs from relatively inexpensive regions like Australia, can be transported to East Asia, the timing for establishing supply chains could 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 forecasted that South Korea will emerge as a major liquefied hydrogen importing country in the mid to long term. Ankit Sachan, Platts' hydrogen and energy transition analyst, said, "According to the South Korean government's hydrogen economy activation roadmap, by 2040, power generation and residential hydrogen fuel cells will be expanded to 15GW and 2.1GW 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, once liquefied hydrogen transportation is commercialized and imports follow, it can be immediately utilized in various fields."

However, Platts also noted that there will be considerable technical challenges until commercialization. Hydrogen must be cooled to -253 degrees Celsius to liquefy it, which requires significant energy and cost. Above all, infrastructure capable of preventing gasification over long periods is a burden. The liquefied hydrogen loaded on Suiso Frontier was also produced by cooling hydrogen extracted from lignite coal to -253 degrees Celsius.

Sachan advised, "Since imported hydrogen is expected to account for a large portion during 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, "It is essential to have liquefied hydrogen receiving bases or storage facilities equipped with gasification prevention systems, as well as transportation means such as pipelines, tube trailers, and cryogenic tanks for domestic supply."

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