French LNG containment giant GTT has won basic design approvals from DNV for a liquefied hydrogen membrane type containment system and an LH2 carrier, as part of its previously announced cooperation with Shell.
Classification society DNV granted two approvals in principle for the design of a membrane type containment system for LH2 and for the preliminary concept design of an LH2 carrier carrier, according to a GTT statement.
These approvals pave the way for the next stages of the project with Shell, it said.
Shell is looking to develop a hydrogen energy supply chain by creating “scalable and safe” liquefied hydrogen shipping technologies.
Also, the new approvals “validate GTT’s technological advances in LH2 containment and the preliminary design of an LH2 carrier,” it said.
GTT has designed a containment system that meets current regulatory requirements and anticipates future developments, as part of IMO’s requirements for the transport and cargo of hydrogen, it said.
“Our LH2 carrier development project with Shell is very promising and this first step confirms the reliability and relevance of our solutions as well as our determination to make this technology viable and quickly available to maritime transport and energy players,” Philippe Berterottière, CEO of GTT, said.
“As we see it development of LH2 cargo containment systems is a key enabler to accelerating the energy transition for hard to abate sectors,” Shell International Trading and Shipping’s Carl Henrickson said.
“We have been working with GTT since the early days of the first LNG carrier development, and it is great to see how their expertise can be applied to enabling liquefied hydrogen transport,” Henrickson said.
He added that this technology would support the “safe and efficient scaling” of bulk liquefied hydrogen transport by sea, which in turn would help “unlock hydrogen as a fuel source for the future.”