Suiso Frontier (Hydrogen Frontier) - the world’s first, purpose-built liquified hydrogen carrier was unveiled in Japan - and its first port of call in early 2021 will be Victoria.

This vessel forms a critical part of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) Pilot Project, the largest hydrogen demonstration project in the world, which provides Victoria with the opportunity to be at the forefront of the global hydrogen industry.

The state-of-the-art ship, built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, will transport liquified hydrogen produced from Victorian brown coal to Japan for use in fuel cell electric vehicles and power generation.

Measuring 116m in length and weighing approximately 8,000 tonnes, the vessel will have a 1,250 cubic metre capacity vacuum insulated double-walled storage tank which will safely and efficiently transport liquefied hydrogen cooled to -253 degrees Celsius.

The four-year HESC Pilot Project is one of the key projects identified in the recently released National Hydrogen Strategy, which sets out a framework for Australian governments and industry to work together to build Australia’s hydrogen industry.

The project is being developed by a consortium of Japan’s top energy and infrastructure companies, with the full support of the Victorian, Commonwealth and Japanese governments.

The consortium partners include Kawasaki Heavy Industries, J-Power, Iwatani Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, and AGL.

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