The Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTA) launched the Global Liquid Hydrogen Alliance, a new international platform dedicated to advancing pure green hydrogen and liquid hydrogen (LH2) as a deployable, scalable, and commercially viable zero-emission fuel for international maritime shipping.
"Zero-emission shipping is already underway. The investment is moving, the regulation is coming, and the early movers are setting the terms," says Madadh MacLaine, Alliance co-founder and secretary general of ZESTAs. “According to industry reports, the liquid hydrogen market reflects that momentum: valued at $9 billion today, it is projected to reach $19 billion by 2032 and exceed $54 billion from 2037 onward, with global liquefaction capacity set to more than quadruple in the same period. The Global Liquid Hydrogen Alliance exists because LH₂ needs to be at the core of that transition, at scale, not catching up to it. We're here to do the coordination work that makes deployment happen: evidence, policy alignment, and commercial frameworks that turn LH₂ from a credible option into a bankable fuel."
Key takeaways:
· Over 600 hydrogen project announcements globally are linked to Europe, backed by more than €175 billion in committed investment, yet projects remain fragmented, offtake is uncoordinated, and final investment decisions are stalling.
· ZESTA brings together the organizations ready to build the LH2 value chain in the real world, faster, at scale, and with credibility.
· LH₂ is uniquely suited to long-range, high-energy-density maritime applications where other zero-emission fuels face infrastructure or scalability constraints. It is the only zero-emission maritime fuel that can be produced, stored, and transported at scale using renewable electricity, without the safety, toxicity, traceability, or land-use trade-offs associated with ammonia, methanol, or crop-based biofuels.
· The Alliance will operate as an action-focused platform built around four priorities:
- Build a global ground truth for LH₂: create a neutral, verifiable evidence base around liquid hydrogen technology, safety, logistics, costs, and performance to support policymakers, investors, ports, shipowners, and offtakers.
- Position LH₂ as a primary energy carrier for shipping; advance a clear, technically grounded argument for LH₂ as a primary zero-emission marine energy carrier, particularly for long-range, energy-dense, and globally tradable applications.
- Accelerate market creation and international alignment; support for demand aggregation, offtaker coordination, standards development, certification pathways, and aligned policy engagement across the IMO, Europe, and across key producing regions like Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and even on the high seas.
- Turn policy momentum into deployment; identify how LH₂ rolls out through shipping corridors, port infrastructure, vessel integration, and supply chain partnerships, including routes that reduce dependence on fossil fuel chokepoints and build energy resilience for importing nations, making the case that climate alignment and supply chain security are the same investment.
