The World’s first bulk liquefied hydrogen carrier vessel “Suiso Frontier” arrived at the Port of Singapore on 31st August and was then berthed at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore on Pulau Bukom from 1st September to 7th September.
Designed and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), “Suiso Frontier” is operated by Shell under the CO2-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association (HySTRA) project funded by the Japanese government and various partners. The vessel can carry up to 1,250 cubic metres of liquefied hydrogen at -253 degrees Celsius in the state-of-the-art storage tank.
“Suiso Frontier” completed its maiden voyage between Australia and Japan in February 2022 and, after a refit period, is now in the next phase of the demonstration which aims to assess performance, reliability, and integrity of the vessel’s system through more load-unload cycles as well as provide more operational experience.
Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), said that “MPA is actively studying the use of hydrogen and its carriers as a marine fuel and welcomes the collaboration with industry players such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Shell, as well as our work with our research community, such as the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing, to bring the “Suiso Frontier” to Singapore.”
”This vessel visit has helped to inform the development of safety an operational procedures, and also support further feasibility studies and preparations for the deep-sea transportation and receipt of liquefied alternative fuels” the Chief Executive of MPA added.
Shigeru Yamamoto, Executive Officer Deputy General Manager, Hydrogen Strategy Division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries commented “We strongly believe that an international supply chain of liquefied hydrogen by marine transportation is essential to realise a carbon-neutral world. The world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, showed to the world that cryogenic liquefied hydrogen can be transported by ship. We are confident that liquefied hydrogen will attract even more attention from around the world in the future.”