Daimler Truck AG, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the “Hydrogen Technology World Expo” in Hamburg to explore the creation of a reliable and cost-effective supply chain for green liquid hydrogen via the Port of Hamburg to the European hinterland, HHLA said in a statement.
The collaboration aims to enable the import of liquid hydrogen from producing countries to Germany and to strengthen Hamburg’s position as a hub for sustainable energy logistics.
Over the coming months, the companies will assess logistical requirements for transshipment and onward transport by road and rail. The partners also plan to attract additional companies and institutions to form a consortium covering the entire hydrogen value chain.
Dr. Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management at Daimler Truck and Head of Truck Technology, said: “Europe will continue to rely on green energy imports in the future and hydrogen will play a key role here. The partnership is an important step in this direction, and we will need more initiatives like this to strengthen Europe’s position as a leader in liquid hydrogen.”
The partners bring complementary strengths to the project: Kawasaki Heavy Industries as a hydrogen technology provider, HHLA as a European logistics company, and Daimler Truck as a commercial vehicle manufacturer developing hydrogen-based drive systems.
Daimler Truck AG is a publicly listed German manufacturer of commercial vehicles headquartered in Leinfelden-Echterdingen. The company develops and produces trucks and buses under brands including Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, and FUSO. It focuses on zero-emission transport solutions and was spun off from Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group AG) in 2021.
Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) is a publicly listed German logistics and transport company headquartered in Hamburg. It operates container terminals in the Port of Hamburg and across Europe and provides intermodal transport services through its rail and road networks. HHLA’s operations are partly owned by the City of Hamburg.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. is a publicly traded Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo. The company manufactures transportation equipment, industrial systems, and energy solutions, and it operates across sectors including aerospace, shipbuilding, rolling stock, and energy technology. It is one of Japan’s key industrial conglomerates engaged in hydrogen infrastructure development.
