Energy major TotalEnergies, containment system designer GTT, ship design company LMG Marine and class society Bureau Veritas are joining forces to develop a 150,000-cbm liquid hydrogen (LH2) carrier concept design.
The four partners have signed an agreement for a joint development project (JDP).
Under this, TotalEnergies will work on defining specifications for the vessel, including its operational profile.
GTT said it will design the membrane containment system, giving consideration to the constraints related to liquefied hydrogen.
LMG Marin, which is a subsidiary of Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine, will define the concept design of the LH2 carrier on the back of TotalEnergies’ specifications and the constraints related to the membrane-type containment system.
Bureau Veritas is lined up to conduct a risk assessment and review the design against the most recent regulatory requirements with the aim of delivering an approval in principle (AiP).
A year ago, Shell International Trading & Shipping Co and GTT announced they had signed a cooperation agreement with GTT to develop a preliminary LH2 carrier design. Class society DNV has since granted several AiPs relating to this.
GTT said the ability to transport large volumes of hydrogen in liquefied form at -253°C “is one of the major technological challenges to be overcome to set up a reliable, efficient and competitive global carbon-free hydrogen value chain”.
“In the future, continents such as Europe or some Asian countries may need to import hydrogen on a large scale to complement domestic production,” the company added.
“The JDP partners will leverage their combined expertise and know-how to develop a large-scale LH2 carrier concept that can be implemented on an industrial scale for the maritime transport of liquefied hydrogen.”
GTT chairman and chief executive Philippe Berterottiere said: “GTT’s ability to design a disruptive technology adapted to large-scale vessels is a major step forward for the development of the hydrogen sector.”
TotalEnergies vice president of hydrogen Mansur Zhakupov said: “Complementary industry players working together is an effective approach to derisking and accelerating the deployment of the hydrogen value chain. We are confident that this JDP will shed light on the prospects of transporting hydrogen at scale in liquefied form.”
LMG Marin managing director Vincent Rudelle added: “Out-of-the-box thinking is key to allow the transport of such quantity of liquid hydrogen on board this unique vessel. He said the company would be able to share its LH2 experience with the HYDRA project, the world’s first vessel powered by liquid hydrogen currently in operation in Norway.
BV Marine & Offshore president Matthieu de Tugny commented: “Hydrogen is a crucial component of the energy transition and holds great promise for our industry.”
