The world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, is scheduled to arrive at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat on August 14. Manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), is currently on its first visit to the Sultanate of Oman, and is anchored at Port Sultan Qaboos.
Suiso means hydrogen in Japanese.
The visit of Suiso Frontier to Oman marks a significant milestone in the development of commercially viable supply chains for the hydrogen market. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, with its expertise in refrigerated technology for marine transportation, has been at the forefront of the hydrogen industry since 2010.
Oman could be the sixth-largest exporter of green hydrogen in the world by 2030 — and the largest in the Middle East, representing 61% of the expected 1.1 million tonnes of renewable H2 exported from the region, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
IEA said that the country could export more than 670,000 tonnes of hydrogen, mostly in the form of ammonia, by the start of the next decade.
Oman targets at least one million tonnes of renewable hydrogen production by 2030, increasing to 3.75 million tonnes by 2040 and 8.5 million tonnes by mid-century. The IEA estimates that the 2040 target represents 80% of the country’s LNG exports today in energy-equivalent terms, “while achieving the 2050 target would almost double them”.
The construction of the ship incorporated innovative technologies developed by KHI, and its visit holds significance for Oman’s plans to become a global leader in clean hydrogen production and export. Designed and built using the technical knowledge of KHI, a founding member of the Hydrogen Council, the ship’s main mission is to introduce Japanese technology for hydrogen transportation, seek cooperation for large-scale transport of the clean energy source, and establish global supply chains.
Supported by the Japanese government, the ship was completed in 2020 and is equipped with a double tank capable of retaining and maintaining hydrogen at a temperature of -253 degrees Celsius. Its arrival in Oman aligns with the country’s efforts to stimulate the green hydrogen economy.
Notably, Suiso Frontier successfully transported liquefied hydrogen from Australia to Japan in February 2022. With a capacity to carry up to 8,000 tonnes of liquefied hydrogen, the ship can transport large quantities over long distances by sea.
The utilization of cryogenic liquefied hydrogen for transportation has been made possible through Kawasaki’s years of experience in handling liquefied natural gas and cryogenic liquefied hydrogen as rocket fuel. As countries like Oman strive for decarbonization and commit to net-zero targets, hydrogen presents an attractive export opportunity.
The visit of Suiso Frontier to Oman is not only a testament to the progress in hydrogen transportation technology but also a step towards establishing a robust and commercially viable hydrogen supply chain for the future.
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