HySTRA, Japan’s hydrogen association, held a ceremony to commemorate the completion of the world’s first voyage of the Suiso Frontier, the world’s first liquefied hydrogen (LH2) carrier.

In Kobe, Japan, HySTRA held a ceremony to mark the completion of the world’s first liquefied hydrogen maritime transport, which included loading and unloading.

Suiso Frontier, the world’s first LH2 carrier, demonstrated the viability of a global LH2 supply chain. As a result, this voyage marked a significant step forward in the development of hydrogen as a new, environmentally friendly energy source.

In December 2021, the Suiso Frontier departed Japan and arrived in Australia in January 2022. In February 2022, the ship returned to Japan after receiving liquefied hydrogen from coal in Victoria, Australia, and unloading the cargo into a landside storage tank.

In the HySTRA joint venture, Iwatani Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Shell Japan, J-POWER, Marubeni, ENEOS, and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha are all partners. The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization also backs it up (NEDO).

Kawasaki Heavy designed and built the vessel in addition to the Hy touch Kobe, an LH2 cargo handling demonstration terminal.

The JV developed and tested technologies for producing and transporting large amounts of liquefied hydrogen between Japan and Australia.