German companies Daimler Truck and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries to explore the development of a green liquid hydrogen supply chain through the Port of Hamburg and into mainland Europe.

According to the partners, the collaboration aims to facilitate the import of liquid hydrogen from producing countries to Germany. In the coming months, the companies are expected to assess the logistical requirements for transshipment and subsequent transport by road and rail.

Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck and Head of Truck Technology, stated that “Europe will continue to depend on green energy imports in the future, and hydrogen will play a key role in this. This collaboration is an important step in that direction, and we will need more initiatives like this to strengthen Europe’s position as a leader in liquid hydrogen. What makes this special is that our Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck can not only run on green liquid hydrogen but also transport it by road. And best of all, hydrogen allows us to accelerate decarbonization and reduce the scope and cost of the already slow expansion of the power grid.”

Annette Walter, Chief Financial Officer of HHLA, added that “hydrogen is one of the keys to a climate-neutral future, and at HHLA we are committed to actively driving this transformation. Liquid hydrogen plays a crucial role in this process because it can be transported without pipelines — a decisive advantage for mobility, logistics, aviation, and especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Our goal is to supply industry reliably with hydrogen through our European logistics network. The collaboration with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Daimler Truck is an important step toward expanding the availability of liquid hydrogen and advancing decarbonization together.”

Kei Nomura, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Hydrogen Strategy Division at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, said that “liquid hydrogen is essential to achieving an energy-sustainable society, and we have long been committed to laying the technological foundations to support it. We are very pleased to collaborate with HHLA and Daimler Truck to explore the feasibility of establishing an international liquid hydrogen supply chain in Europe, starting with Hamburg. Kawasaki Heavy Industries has proven technologies and experience in the production, storage, transportation, and reception of liquid hydrogen. We will leverage this expertise to contribute to the development of a hydrogen supply network in Europe. Looking ahead, we remain committed to expanding the use of liquid hydrogen through global partnerships and accelerating the transition to a decarbonized society.”

Each partner contributes distinct expertise to the initiative: Kawasaki Heavy Industries as a technology provider in hydrogen infrastructure, HHLA as a European logistics network operator, and Daimler Truck as a commercial vehicle manufacturer focused on battery-electric and hydrogen-based, CO?-neutral propulsion systems.

Kawasaki is reportedly working with government agencies and related companies to develop the technology needed for an early establishment of a hydrogen supply chain, from production to transport, storage, and utilization.

HHLA aims to achieve climate neutrality across the group by 2040 and position itself in the hydrogen import and distribution sector. The company is also working on the use of fuel cells in handling equipment and heavy cargo transport.

Meanwhile, Daimler Truck is pursuing a dual strategy with both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The company plans to industrialize fuel cell technology on a large scale and begin series production of hydrogen trucks in the early 2030s.

Finally, the Daimler-HHLA-Kawasaki initiative seeks to attract additional companies and institutions to form a consortium that will cover the entire hydrogen value chain.

With thanks to Review Energy.

Read more here: Port of Hamburg positioned as Europe’s key hub for green hydrogen imports