Unitrove to deliver liquid hydrogen bunkering facility for zero-emission shipping

Unitrove successfully delivered the UK’s first liquefied natural gas bunkering facility at Teesport in May 2015.

Unitrove to deliver liquid hydrogen bunkering facility for zero-emission shipping

Unitrove, a clean energy solutions provider, is launching a campaign to decarbonise the global maritime sector by delivering the world’s first liquid hydrogen bunkering facility for fuelling zero-emission vessels.

This is according to an announcement in which the group will additionally showcase its groundbreaking liquid hydrogen technology at the upcoming UN COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Unitrove successfully delivered the UK’s first liquefied natural gas bunkering facility at Teesport in May 2015.

Liquid hydrogen is often stored at the cryogenic temperatures of −253 °C (−423 °F) and has been used for decades as the propulsion fuel of choice for launching rockets and satellites into space.

The group said that it is only now being seriously explored for commercial heavy-duty mobility applications.

Steven Lua, CEO of Unitrove, said:

"We already see very early signs of light-duty vessels being battery-driven or powered by compressed gaseous hydrogen, but liquid hydrogen will allow us to serve the heavier portion of the shipping fleet where we hope to have a much larger impact. We are also exploring options including ammonia, liquid organic hydrogen carriers, and solid hydrogen in the form of sodium borohydride.

“However, we understand that priority is currently being given to the development of international standards and regulations for pure hydrogen, and this could play a significant factor in the long run. We believe that hydrogen will be recognised as a global commodity that will be traded in the same way that natural gas is today. The bunker fuel market is worth an estimated $120bn, so there is a huge opportunity not only in environmental and social terms, but also financially.”