Over 400 hydrogen carriers will be needed by 2050: ICS

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has launched a new report identifying global hydrogen demand to 2050, with South Korea, Japan and Europe being the first markets for hydrogen.

The report highlights that to meet just 30m tonnes of annual global green hydrogen demand, the world would require up to 411 new hydrogen vessels – or up to 500 vessels if transported as ammonia – and the equivalent of the yearly electricity production of South and Central America combined.

Guy Platten, secretary-general of the ICS, commented: “For global hydrogen demand to keep the net-zero by 2050 scenario within reach, demand for hydrogen-based fuel sources would need to scale five times from current levels to reach approximately 500m tonnes from 2030 to 2050. One of the main takeaways in this report is the high variability in potential demand. Industry will dominate the hydrogen demand. Shipping however can play a key role as an enabler to the hydrogen economy.”

Currently the only trading liquid hydrogen carrier in the world, the Suiso Frontier (pictured), has just one 1,250 cu m vacuum-insulated, Type C storage tank, with many parties around the world working on how to make larger capacity designs for the fuel which is transported at -253°C.