As any biker knows, Kawasaki’s traditional colour is green, so it is apt that Kawasaki Heavy Industries are to build the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen carrier with a capacity of 40,000 cubic metres.

Built at Kawasaki’s Sakaide Works the vessel will be operated by JSE for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund Project which plans to demonstrate the ship-to-base loading/unloading of liquefied hydrogen and perform trials under ocean-going conditions.

Designed and built to respond to the global demand for hydrogen anticipated in the 2030s, the new vessel will provide the foundation for the future hydrogen supply chain.

Equipped with cargo tanks for liquefied hydrogen with a total capacity of around 40,000 cubic metres the vessel uses a high-performance insulation system to reduce the generation of boil-off gas (BOG) caused by natural heat ingress from the outside, enabling large-scale transportation of cryogenic liquefied hydrogen.

The electric propulsion system features a hydrogen/oil-based dual-fuel generator engine in addition to a conventional oil-based generator engine. Furthermore, the installation of a hydrogen gas supply system with a compressor and a heat exchanger enables BOG generated from the liquefied hydrogen cargo tanks to be used as a propellant, reducing emissions during liquid hydrogen transport. The vessel has also been designed with a shape and draft that requires less power and has a high propulsion efficiency.

In 2021, Kawasaki Heavy Industries constructed the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, the Suiso Frontier. In addition, it established Hy touch Kobe, a liquefied hydrogen receiving demonstration terminal. In February 2022, Kawasaki Heavy Industries participated in the first ever successful pilot demonstration of loading/unloading and transportation of liquefied hydrogen between Japan and Australia.

---