Development of hydrogen transport ships

Greenstat and Moss Maritime cooperate to develop a transport vessel for hydrogen export from Norway to Japan. R&D support is provided by Marintek and Sintef Energy. Greenstat, collaborating with NEL, has several projects in Norway that aims to produce hydrogen from hydropower. The projects investigate the potential for large-scale export of green hydrogen, which can realize zero-emission transportation for cars, buses, trucks and ships. Moss Maritime is one of the world's leading ship designer of LNG transport vessels, transporting cold, liquefied natural gas, where they pioneered the LNG technology using spherical tanks. Their knowledge and experience with transporting cold fluids will be used to develop concepts for transporting liquid hydrogen over long distances. The vessel will be developed based on a logistic analysis of several ports in Norway and transport routes through Arctic waters will be considered. Existing technologies for hydrogen storage, transfer and transport will be analyzed and the potential for further research, development and improvements will be made through this pilot project before a major project will be initiated.

Hydrogen will be produced from a) hydropower and b) natural gas including carbon capture storage, which. Both production methods are well known where Greenstat and NEL focus on electrolyses based on renewable energy and Sintef Energy, focuses on reformed natural gas including CCS. Both actors have ongoing R&D in these areas and this will form input to this project. Logistics analysis will be conducted, including voyage in the Arctic, which will form input to the ship design. The hydrogen transport vessel concept will be developed by Moss Maritime based upon a logistics assessment of the hydrogen supply chain, where this work will be developed in close dialogue with Knutsen OAS. Moss Maritime will define the storage tank to be used for the liquefied hydrogen ship transport, and equipment suppliers in the LNG shipping industry will be approached in order to investigate and develop equipment technology for handling of liquefied hydrogen onboard the vessel. Liquifaction technology and hydrogen-capable pipes, tanks, valves, etc. will be targeted as this represents new technology and will be based upon Norwegoian companies cryogenic experience with LNG. Gexcon, a world-leading company on gas explosions and simulations, will conduct risk and safety assessments and work closely with NMD. Gexcon is working with hydrogen safety projects where behaviour of hydrogen, explosion analysis, risk rates, etc. are targeted. The vessel may be fuelled by hydrogen and competence in the use of hydrogen for fuel and fuel cell systems is provided by Norwegian Fuel Cell Systems, a company established by Norwegian Electric Systems and CMR Prototech, . This is however, not the main aim of this project and a state-of-the-art low emission energy system will also be developed as a full hydrogen-driven energy system may have a longer development time than the transport ship itself in terms of regulations, safety assessment and technology qualification.