Hydrogen shipping
Liquid Hydrogen
LH2 is classified according to the production method. Brown coal gasification clearly involves fossil fuels, though in this case the Australian plant is being constructed with “carbon capture” and storage underground offshore. So, this cargo is referred to as “blue hydrogen”. “Grey hydrogen” is produced directly from hydrocarbons but without carbon capture. Production involves using electrolysis by a renewable source of energy and therefore does not involve fossil fuels or greenhouse gas emissions. Green hydrogen is clearly a long‑term solution option for decarbonisation.
In the USA, NASA has used hydrogen as fuel for the space shuttle and other rockets for many years. NASA has three barges to carry bulk LH2 between its facilities on the inland waterways of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. It is understood that on at least one occasion, a NASA barge fully-loaded with LH2 was towed from the US Gulf to the European rocket launch facility in French Guyana.
