<p>A state-of-the-art liquid hydrogen tanker readied for loading in Australia Friday ahead of shipment to Japan, in what Canberra described as a "world first" trial of the technology.</p>.<p>The Suiso Frontier is docked near Melbourne and is being loaded with super-cooled hydrogen, a source of fuel that supporters hope could one day rival LNG.</p>.<p>The ship is part of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC), a joint Japanese-Australian project intended to produce plentiful, affordable fuel for Japan.</p>.<p>"This is a historic day, this is the beginning of an industry that will shape the future of global energy," said Australian energy minister Angus Taylor.</p>.<p>Hydrogen produces only steam and no carbon dioxide when burnt, making it an attractive possible alternative to dirtier fossil fuels.</p>.<p>It can be made from renewable sources like water – but in Australia is extracted from brown coal or lignite, significantly reducing its green credentials.</p>.<p>Australia hopes to win over increasingly environmentally conscious investors by capturing the carbon emitted in production.</p>.<p>Australia's pro-coal government has thrown its weight behind the new industry, while trying to reassure supporters it is not the end of locally produced fossil fuels.</p>.<p>"We will continue to support our traditional industries, our traditional exports, but we'll also grow areas like hydrogen," said resources minister Keith Pitt.</p>.<p>"Today's shipment comes from brown coal. It is available, it's affordable, it's local and delivers jobs into regional areas," Pitt said.</p>.<p>Australian government advisor Alan Finkel said the shipment was "the beginning of an international hydrogen shipping industry that might one-day rival the global LNG industry".</p>.<p>The ship is expected to set sail for Kobe, western Japan, in around a week.</p>.<p>If the tests are successful the project will be extended and will enter a commercial phase after 2030 and a new terminus in Japan will then be built, along with larger ships.</p>.<p>And the process is complicated, expensive and energy demanding: to be transported by sea as a liquid, hydrogen needs to be cooled to -253 degrees Celsius (-423.4 degrees Fahrenheit).</p>.<p>When liquified hydrogen is 800 times less than its gaseous volume, according to HESC.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>A state-of-the-art liquid hydrogen tanker readied for loading in Australia Friday ahead of shipment to Japan, in what Canberra described as a "world first" trial of the technology.</p>.<p>The Suiso Frontier is docked near Melbourne and is being loaded with super-cooled hydrogen, a source of fuel that supporters hope could one day rival LNG.</p>.<p>The ship is part of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC), a joint Japanese-Australian project intended to produce plentiful, affordable fuel for Japan.</p>.<p>"This is a historic day, this is the beginning of an industry that will shape the future of global energy," said Australian energy minister Angus Taylor.</p>.<p>Hydrogen produces only steam and no carbon dioxide when burnt, making it an attractive possible alternative to dirtier fossil fuels.</p>.<p>It can be made from renewable sources like water – but in Australia is extracted from brown coal or lignite, significantly reducing its green credentials.</p>.<p>Australia hopes to win over increasingly environmentally conscious investors by capturing the carbon emitted in production.</p>.<p>Australia's pro-coal government has thrown its weight behind the new industry, while trying to reassure supporters it is not the end of locally produced fossil fuels.</p>.<p>"We will continue to support our traditional industries, our traditional exports, but we'll also grow areas like hydrogen," said resources minister Keith Pitt.</p>.<p>"Today's shipment comes from brown coal. It is available, it's affordable, it's local and delivers jobs into regional areas," Pitt said.</p>.<p>Australian government advisor Alan Finkel said the shipment was "the beginning of an international hydrogen shipping industry that might one-day rival the global LNG industry".</p>.<p>The ship is expected to set sail for Kobe, western Japan, in around a week.</p>.<p>If the tests are successful the project will be extended and will enter a commercial phase after 2030 and a new terminus in Japan will then be built, along with larger ships.</p>.<p>And the process is complicated, expensive and energy demanding: to be transported by sea as a liquid, hydrogen needs to be cooled to -253 degrees Celsius (-423.4 degrees Fahrenheit).</p>.<p>When liquified hydrogen is 800 times less than its gaseous volume, according to HESC.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>