The pilot ship will be a scaled version of the 2,000 t C-H2 ship which GEV acquired an Approval in Principle for from the American Bureau of Shipping in March this year.
The proprietary design for the ship’s containment system is made up of two large circular 12 m diameter tanks, contained within its hull, that will store ambient temperature hydrogen at an operating pressure of 250 bar.
The cargo tanks will be constructed with a liner of stainless steel surrounded by multiple high-strength steel layers, within the inner liner protecting against hydrogen embrittlement.
GEV Managing Director and CEO Martin Carolan said the 430 t ship is the ideal size to meet the needs of the emerging hydrogen marine transportation industry.
“A pilot-scale ship will be complementary to partner discussions and GEV’s target to develop a fully integrated green hydrogen supply chain from northern Australia,” he said.
“This includes GEV’s own renewable energy project to produce green hydrogen based on a specific customer use case, delivered with our own C-H2 ships.
“The scale of a 430 t ship can alleviate the additional infrastructure requirements that a liquefaction or ammonia project will require to deliver a pure hydrogen gas to the end user/
“Regions with aspirations to develop a low-carbon hydrogen economy are likely to turn to grid injection as a means of cultivating a market and stimulating investment into supply.”
The work program on the pilot-scale ship commenced on 1 June and GEV is targeting full class approvals by late 2022.
Last month it was announced the company had executed a memorandum of understanding with ILF Consulting Engineers to identify and develop green hydrogen projects in Australia and Europe.
For more information visit the GEV website.