New Liquefied Hydrogen Bunker Ship Design Unveiled

Design and engineering services company Moss Maritime has, in cooperation with Equinor, Wilhelmsen and DNV GL, developed a design for a liquefied hydrogen (LH2) bunker vessel.

The vessel design, made in response to the global ambition of reducing the environmental footprint from global ship transport, comes at a time when hydrogen is finally developing into a viable solution for the larger market, the partners explained.

The future large scale use of hydrogen in both maritime and land-based industry will require vessels tailored for transportation and bunkering of liquefied hydrogen. The project, sponsored by Innovation Norway, was launched with the objective to clarify challenges and find solutions for storage and handling of this demanding cargo and fuel on a vessel.

“Moss Maritime has utilized its long-standing experience from design of Moss LNG carriers in the development of the LH2 bunker vessel, where liquefied hydrogen at a temperature of -253 °C will offer advantages over pressurized hydrogen gas in relation to transportation costs. We are ready to support the ship industry in implementing solutions for liquefied hydrogen for future projects,” Tor Skogan, Vice President LNG of Moss Maritime, said.

The LH2 bunker vessel has cargo capacity of 9000 m³, with a cargo containment system designed to maximize insulation performance and meet the most stringent safety requirements. The vessel has been developed to provide liquefied hydrogen bunkering services to merchant ships, in addition to open sea transport.

“We see hydrogen as a possible fuel for the future. The commercial feasibility of such a vessel is depending on the overall hydrogen market development. Once market signals show that there is a need for big scale liquefied hydrogen, we and our partners are ready to take this design to the next level,” Håkon Lenz, VP Europe and Americas of Wilhelmsen Ship Management, added.