Assessing the viability of hydrogen fuel cell carriers from a lifecycle perspective: The Australia–South Korea liquid hydrogen trade route

Decarbonising international marine shipping is actively progressing in pursuit of the Net Zero target by 2050. Transitioning to alternative fuels has been underscored as a promising strategy and is encouraged for early and widespread adoption. This study investigates the suitability of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)–powered tanker, fueled by an alternative fuel - hydrogen, for liquid hydrogen transport between Australia and South Korea. The assessment focuses on two key indicators: the GWP100 and the levelised cost of hydrogen transport (LCHT) for the delivered hydrogen. The novelty of this study lies in investigating how power system capacity– characterised by the fuel cell system (FCS) rated power and battery system storage capacity– influences the overall shipping performance. The results show that only FCS rated power has a noticeable influence on the performance metrics, whereas battery capacity has a minimal effect. In the baseline case, the GWP100 and LCHT fall within the ranges of 0.49-0.58 kg CO 2 e/kg H 2 and 0.86-0.88 USD/kg H 2 , respectively. Both hydrogen consumption and GWP100 decline significantly with increasing FCS rated power, a trend observed consistently across both the baseline and sensitivity analyses. However, the influence of FCS capacity on the levelised cost -LCHT-is highly dependent on the unit cost of hydrogen fuel. At increased hydrogen prices, LCHT exhibits a strong inverse relationship with FCS rated power, underscoring the economic benefit of larger systems. However, as hydrogen prices decrease, this advantage weakens. Notably, at a hydrogen cost of 2.0 USD/kg, LCHT increases with rising FCS capacity. • A dynamic simulation framework linking power system behaviour with lifecycle assessment is developed for hydrogen shipping. • The influence of onboard power system capacity on transport cost and emissions is systematically quantified. • Higher fuel cell capacity lowers emissions but shows diminishing economic benefits at low hydrogen prices. • The Australia – South Korea trade route is demonstrated to be viable for hydrogen fuel cell maritime transport. • The proposed methodology is applicable to other hydrogen trade corridors and vessel configurations.