By 2025, the technology that will allow ships to transport hydrogen, which is presently delivered by pipelines and trucks, will be commercialized.
The shipbuilding branch of South Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, Korean Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE), is gearing up for a breakthrough in delivering hydrogen as a clean fuel alternative.
Via 2025, KSOE, one of the world’s major shipbuilding companies, hopes to have the technology to transport hydrogen by ship. Between 2025 and 2027, according to KSOE, hydrogen tankers will be marketed.
Yoo Byeong-yong, vice president of the KSOE Energy System Research Institute, said that a concept ship with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters has already been constructed. According to Yoo, after 2030, the worldwide hydrogen market would see fast expansion, resulting in a rise in ship demand. Ships transporting hydrogen will first be fueled by LNG, according to Yoo, but as the hydrogen market evolves, the ships will be able to run entirely on hydrogen.
According to industry projections, 20 ships with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters would be built in South Korea, one of the world’s shipbuilding centers, during the next 10 years, starting in 2030. After 2040, if need grows, it might expand to 200 bigger boats with a capacity of 170,000 cubic meters.
Pipelines and ships can transfer hydrogen in liquid form. Liquid hydrogen can be delivered in insulated double-walled containers to avoid evaporation. Some tankers utilize liquid nitrogen heat shields to cool the exterior surface of the liquid hydrogen tank and reduce heat transmission. Long-distance transport is handled by ship tankers. Ships lose between 0.2 and 0.4 percent of their cargo each day due to evaporation. The necessity for particular insulation, as well as liquid hydrogen pumping and cooling losses, are the key issues in liquid hydrogen transportation.
