Singapore welcomed the world’s first bulk liquefied hydrogen carrier, Suiso Frontier, on 31 August 2023, according to the company's release. The vessel was berthed at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore on Pulau Bukom from 1 September to 7 September 2023.
Designed and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), Suiso Frontier, is operated by Shell under the CO2-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association (HySTRA) project funded by the Japanese government and various partners. The vessel can carry up to 1,250 cubic metres of liquefied hydrogen at -253 degrees Celsius in the state-of-the-art storage tank. The vessel completed its maiden voyage between Australia and Japan in February 2022 and, after a refit period, is now in the next phase of the demonstration which aims to assess performance, reliability, and integrity of the vessel’s system through more load- unload cycles as well as provide more operational experience.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996 with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre, and to advance and safeguard Singapore’s strategic maritime interests. In 2022, Singapore remained one of the world’s busiest transshipment hubs with a container throughput of 37.3 million 20- foot equivalent units (TEUs).