The world has significantly lowered its carbon footprint over recent years, but challenges remain due to carbon-heavy industries and limited resources in some countries, such as Japan. The nation, unfortunately, significantly relies on imports for its energy. However, thanks to the hydrogen era, it could all change for Japan, and potentially other energy-resource-poor nations, as a new chapter is beginning. Kawasaki Heavy Industries has unveiled a 50,000-m³ vessel to mark the beginning of this new chapter.
The hydrogen era, but a new chapter
Japan is fast on track to rewrite the history books, cementing its role in the global shift away from fossil fuels and shifting focus to liquefied hydrogen. The Japanese heavy industrial manufacturer, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, has taken the lead in this era specifically. In 2021, the company gained its first experience in the transport of liquefied hydrogen by building a first-of-its-kind 1,250-m³ vessel.
This vessel was known as the Suiso Frontier. One year later, the carrier completed a trial run between Japan and Australia, marking the beginning of the new hydrogen era. The groundbreaking work is aimed at allowing Japan to decarbonize its carbon-heavy industries more easily, as the country has primarily relied on imports.
Now, Kawasaki Heavy Industries is adding an entirely new chapter to the hydrogen era by kicking it up a notch by creating a liquefied hydrogen supply chain on a significant commercial scale. This will be achieved with a 50,000-m³ vessel.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries unveils a 50,000-m³ vessel
After the success of Suiso Frontier’s trial run in 2022, it was finally proven that, in a liquefied state, hydrogen could be safely loaded, transported, and unloaded. Now, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, along with Japan Suiso Energy (JSE), is scaling up trials and has unveiled a vessel that is over 30 times bigger than Suiso Frontier.
JSE serves as the operator of Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund project. Kawasaki Heavy Industries is also assisting Japan Engine Corporation’s two-stroke hydrogen engine trials in 2026, which form part of the Green Innovation Fund.
The vessel’s construction will be done at Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Sakaide Works in Kagawa Prefecture. Once completed, it will operate in unison with onshore infrastructure, which includes a receiving terminal at Ogishima in Kawasaki City, also under construction. This new vessel will be 50,000 m³ and will hit a new global transport milestone.
Hitting a global transport milestone
This vessel will be able to store nearly 40,000 m³ of liquefied hydrogen, as it will be equipped with the appropriate cargo tanks. The gigantic vessel will also be equipped with:
- An electric propulsion system
- A high-performance insulation system
- Reduces boil-off gas due to external heat
- A hydrogen gas supply system
- Enables the reuse of boil-off gas as fuel
- Decreases transport carbon emissions
- A cargo handling system with double-wall, vacuum-insulated piping
- For large-volume transfer and to maintain substantially low temperatures
Altogether, along with the vessel’s hull draft and shape, propulsion efficiency will be enhanced, and power requirements will be reduced, as the design accounts for the liquefied hydrogen’s low density. Kawasaki Heavy Industries hopes to start operations by the early 2030s, as experts believe that the global hydrogen demand will skyrocket by then.
Should the commercial-scale trial runs of this new gigantic vessel be successful, it will prove that liquefied hydrogen is the future of global transport, as it will be a key player in decarbonizing carbon-heavy industries. Furthermore, it will significantly boost the energy security of Japan, as well as other energy-resource-poor nations worldwide, accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels to clean, sustainable power. Japan is also testing 900ºC red hydrogen to reshape nuclear energy.
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Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.
