Country completes world’s longest shipment of LH2

Visitors check out China National Offshore Oil Corp’s deepwater drilling platform model during an expo in Beijing in July. CHEN XIAOGEN/FOR CHINA DAILY

China National Offshore Oil Corp recently completed the world’s longest-ever shipment of liquid hydrogen, which traveled from Europe to China and was completed on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in global energy transport.

The shipment by the Chinese energy giant highlights the potential of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source and the country’s leadership in advancing hydrogen logistics and clean energy technology, said industry experts.

Utilizing specialized insulated tanks, the shipment, which traveled over 10,000 nautical miles (18,500 kilometers) from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to Yantian Port in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, emphasizes the potential of hydrogen as a sustainable energy resource, the operator said.

“The successful completion of the world’s longest liquid hydrogen sea transport demonstration project marks China’s entry into the pioneering phase of developing the global long-distance, transoceanic hydrogen transport and utilization industry,” said Wang Lining, director of the oil market department of the Economics and Technology Research Institute under China National Petroleum Corp.

“Transporting liquid hydrogen nearly 20,000 km demonstrates the potential for scaling hydrogen logistics across long distances, which is essential for fostering international hydrogen trade. The use of specialized insulated tanks highlights the technological advancements necessary to ensure the safe and efficient movement of hydrogen, setting a precedent for future projects,” said Wang. “This milestone also signals China’s increasing commitment to hydrogen as part of its decarbonization strategy, potentially positioning the country as a major hub for hydrogen imports and usage, further accelerating global hydrogen adoption.”

Xiao Li, chief designer at the research and development center of CNOOC Gas & Power Group, a subsidiary of CNOOC, said the company has been accelerating research efforts on the long-distance transoceanic liquid hydrogen transportation industry chain, including studies on transportation process technology, equipment technology, safety protocols, as well as international policies and regulations, to ensure the safe unloading of the first liquid hydrogen shipment.

Amid China’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, the country has been accelerating efforts with rapid advancements in new energy resources.

While hydrogen energy, considered the pinnacle of sustainable and competitive energy sources for carbon reduction, is poised to assume a crucial role globally, its development is confronted with various challenges, from disparities in the acquisition of said resource to the elevated costs of energy transition, said Wang.

Liquid hydrogen, recognized for its high energy density and efficient transport capabilities, is becoming the favored solution for meeting future large-scale, long-distance energy transport demands, he said.

According to CNOOC, transport technology continues to be a key factor in shaping the industry’s future due to hydrogen’s unique physical characteristics. The capacity to effectively transport hydrogen over long distances is anticipated to provide a strategic edge in the energy market, it said.

The company has been conducting extensive research and increasing efforts on developments focused on the industrial technology system as well as regulatory frameworks, taking advantage of its expertise in LNG trade to overcome the technical challenges of transoceanic hydrogen transport and pioneer an industrial model for international trade.

In the face of the global hydrogen market’s development, the cost differences in clean hydrogen production between countries are gradually widening, creating trade opportunities between nations with surplus low-cost hydrogen production capacity and those that need to import it, said CNOOC.

Major economies like the EU, the US and Japan are actively engaging in the international trade of hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels, connecting global hydrogen supply and demand through trade, it said.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, over 30 percent of hydrogen production will be used for international trade by 2050.

As the world’s largest hydrogen producer, with an annual output of up to 40 million metric tons, China’s successful implementation of the world’s longest liquid hydrogen sea transport demonstration project provides new momentum for advancing its innovation and industrial chains and exploring hydrogen trade opportunities, said CNOOC.

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