Moss Maritime, in cooperation with Equinor, Wilhelmsen and DNV-GL, have developed a design for a Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) bunker vessel. The vessel design comes at a time when hydrogen is developing into a viable solution.
The future wide use of hydrogen in maritime industry will require specific vessels for transportation and bunkering of liquefied hydrogen. The project, sponsored by Innovation Norway, was initiated to clarify challenges and find solutions for storage and handling of this cargo and fuel on a vessel.
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The LH2 bunker vessel has cargo capacity of 9000 m³, with a cargo containment system aimed to enhance insulation performance and meet strict safety requirements. The vessel has been developed to provide liquefied hydrogen bunkering services to merchant ships, in addition to open sea transport.
Speaking about the ship, Steinar Eikaas, VP for Low Carbon Solutions in Equinor, said that:
Equinor believes hydrogen may represent an attractive energy solution for the sectors that are hard to decarbonize and currently outside the scope of renewable solutions like batteries. Long haul maritime shipping is one of these and an important milestone has been passed by introducing a logistical solution for transport of liquefied hydrogen by the sea.
Håkon Lenz, VP Europe and Americas of Wilhelmsen Ship Management, also considers hydrogen as a possible fuel for the future. He explained that the commercial feasibility of such a vessel depends on the overall hydrogen market development. When market signals show that there is a need for big scale liquefied hydrogen, the companies will be ready to take this design to the next level.
By initiating and participating in this project we prepare ourselves for meeting the demand of our customers in the years to come, and Wilhelmsen will always seek opportunities in new technology to enable sustainable global trade