At the Hydrogen Technology World Expo in Hamburg, Daimler Truck, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), and Kawasaki Heavy Industries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a safe and cost-efficient supply chain for green liquid hydrogen. The project will enable imports of liquid hydrogen from producing countries to Germany and strengthen Hamburg’s position as Europe’s leading hub for sustainable energy logistics.
Under the joint initiative, the partners will assess the logistics infrastructure for transporting liquid hydrogen via road and rail through Hamburg in the coming months. The plan also includes establishing an international hydrogen consortium covering the entire supply chain.
Dr. Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management at Daimler Truck, emphasized hydrogen’s key role in Europe’s energy transition: “Our Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks not only run on liquid green hydrogen but can also transport it. This technology is key to accelerating decarbonization and overcoming the limitations caused by the slow expansion of the energy grid.”
Annette Walter, Chief Financial Officer at HHLA, highlighted hydrogen’s flexibility in transport and logistics: “Liquid hydrogen offers major advantages for SMEs and industries because it can be transported independently of pipeline infrastructure. Our goal is to ensure a reliable hydrogen supply to industry through our pan-European logistics network.”
Kei Nomura, Head of Hydrogen Strategy at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, noted the company’s long-standing expertise: “Kawasaki has been developing technologies for the production, storage, and transportation of liquid hydrogen for many years. Our collaboration with HHLA and Daimler Truck marks a significant step toward building an integrated hydrogen supply network in Europe.”
Experts say this partnership sends a strong signal for Europe’s energy transition. Kawasaki is developing tanker vessels of various capacities capable of transporting liquid hydrogen, while HHLA aims to expand the use of fuel cell technologies in port operations as part of its goal to achieve a carbon-neutral logistics network by 2040. Daimler Truck, pursuing both battery-electric and hydrogen-based strategies, plans to start small-scale hydrogen truck production by 2026 and move toward full-scale series production in the 2030s.
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