Oman Receives World’s First Liquefied Hydrogen Ship

On Wednesday, Oman duly received at Sultan Qaboos Port, the world’s first-ever liquefied hydrogen carrier vessel. It is named the Suiso Frontier as part of the regional tour of the Japanese tanker in the Middle East.

The respected Minister of Energy and Minerals, H E Eng Salim Nasser al Aufi, and relevant officials from transport and logistics and hydrogen sectors toured the vessel’s facilities.

They further took a tour of the advanced hydrogen transfer control room, augmented with next-gen reality tech. Such an innovative feature displayed scenarios of transporting liquefied hydrogen commercially, besides the extensive economic feasibility of transport assignments.

H E Aufi also mentioned that the visit comes in the framework of being familiarized with the capabilities of transporting hydrogen and the challenges encountered by the carrier.

The visit targets reviewing the firm’s plans to build huge hydrogen carriers to cope with the increasing international demands expected in the upcoming phase.

The minister pointed out that Oman has come a long way in the hydrogen field and strives to be among the First Nations that export green hydrogen to parts of the world, as well as utilize green hydrogen in local industries as a substitute for gas.

H E Jota Yamamoto, the ambassador of Japan to Oman, stated that the carrier’s much-awaited visit to Oman contributes to boosting bilateral relations across fields, particularly for the energy and hydrogen fields. He underscored the importance of the availability of hydrogen carriers to connect the suppliers with the market.

Besides, the carrier vessel, “Suiso Frontier”, was reportedly manufactured by the Japanese enterprise Kawasaki Heavy Industries and operated by Shell Japan.

The vessel is considered a central experimental station, notably catalyzing research and development in the hydrogen field.

Suiso Frontier ferries massive hydrogen volumes, with cargo capacity hitting about 1,250 cubic meters. The expenditure in constructing this vessel has been appraised at nearly $359 million.

In the meantime, Oman bolstered its position in green hydrogen assignments by signing several vital projects to produce about 750,000 tons of green hydrogen with an investment value of $30 billion in the initial bidding phase. Oman also inaugurated three concession areas in the Governorate of Dhofar in the second bidding phase that are expected to be awarded by the end of 2024’s first quarter.

The sultanate’s future ambitions encompass producing over 1 million tons by 2030 and 8 million tons by 2050.

Japan will be a key strategic partner to Oman, especially in the energy domain. The signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation in January this year solidified such a strategic partnership. The collaboration between Japan and Oman encompasses a spectrum of sectors, including ammonia fuel, hydrogen, carbon recycling, and modern methodologies used in methane production.

References: Zawya, The National News

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Source: Maritime Shipping News