In a statement the company said, “This development will allow the company to deliver natural gas in a more efficient manner.”
“This latest advancement represents a significant development for energy shipping. Currently, natural gas is shipped in a liquefied form (LNG), which needs to be maintained at a constant temperature of minus 162 degrees centigrade.
The NGH pellets would only need to be maintained at a temperature of minus 20 degrees centigrade,” added the statement.
The technology was co-developed by the engineering firm together with Osaka University and the Japanese National Maritime Research Institute. Aside from the new storage technique, Mitsui has also designed the basic structure for a cargo vessel which could transport the NGH pellets.