South Korea To Build World’s Largest Liquefied Hydrogen Carrier By 2027

LH2 Carrier — Image Credits: MOTIE/Facebook

South Korea has announced plans to build the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen carrier (LHC) by 2027 to strengthen its shipbuilding industry and lead the future of clean energy shipping.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy confirmed the move and outlined a major investment and development roadmap during an inauguration ceremony held at BEXCO in Busan on May 9.

The government will invest 55.5 billion won (about $39.5 million) in 2025 alone to support this initiative. The carrier will serve as a demonstration ship and is expected to have a cargo capacity of 2,300 cubic meters, equal to about 140 tons of liquefied hydrogen, making it the largest of its kind once built.

The Ministry has launched a ‘Public-Private Joint Promotion Team for Liquefied Hydrogen Carriers’, which brings together South Korea’s top hydrogen and shipbuilding experts from government bodies, research institutions, universities, and major shipbuilders- Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, and Samsung Heavy Industries.

Liquefied hydrogen is stored at extremely low temperatures of -253°C, which reduces its volume by 800 times and increases transport efficiency by over 10 times. However, this also introduces significant technical challenges.

Unlike liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is stored at -163°C, LHCs demand more advanced insulation systems and specialised ultra-low-temperature storage tanks.

The planned ship will use vacuum insulation and hybrid propulsion systems, combining hydrogen boil-off gas with fuel cells and energy storage systems. At present, there is no commercial large-scale liquefied hydrogen ship in operation.

The only known example is a small Japanese demonstration vessel with a 1,250 cbm tank, built under a government-backed project. South Korea’s upcoming demonstration vessel would surpass this in both size and technological ambition.

According to the ministry, liquefied hydrogen carriers are categorised as high-value, high-tech vessels with significant growth potential, but the high cost and technical risk during the early development phase make government involvement crucial.

An official from the Ministry discussed the importance of state support to help the industry enter and lead this new market. The government also plans to revise relevant regulations and systems to help Korean-developed technologies become global standards.

The long-term plan goes beyond just the 2027 demonstration ship. South Korea aims to complete the technology for larger LHCs by 2030, develop a 40,000 cbm hydrogen carrier by 2032, and eventually commercialise 160,000 cbm vessels by 2040.

In 2023, the Ministry unveiled the ‘Liquid Hydrogen Carrier Super-Gap Leading Strategy’, which includes supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in acquiring source technologies, validating performance, expanding to larger vessels, and setting up a strong public-private cooperation framework.

Currently, 43 research and development projects involving 101 organisations are underway. The new joint task force will work to streamline these efforts into a unified project and create a collaborative ecosystem.

Their key focus areas include aligning ongoing R&D efforts, cooperating on building the demonstration ship, and developing a supply chain for liquefied hydrogen-specific equipment and materials.

Reference: MOTIE

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