Daimler Truck, MB Energy and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Partner to Build Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Chain to Europe
Daimler Truck, MB Energy and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to establish a liquefied hydrogen supply chain to Europe through the Port of Hamburg, marking a major step forward in the development of international hydrogen infrastructure for heavy-duty transport and industrial decarbonisation.
The agreement was signed during the Hamburg Port Anniversary festival, underscoring Hamburg’s ambitions to position itself as a leading European energy and hydrogen hub. The partnership builds on an existing Memorandum of Understanding focused on creating a Japan-Germany hydrogen supply corridor and aims to enable commercial imports of liquefied hydrogen into Europe by the early 2030s.
Under the agreement, the three companies will conduct feasibility studies and technical assessments to establish an economically viable end-to-end hydrogen supply chain. The initiative is intended to support Europe’s growing hydrogen demand while strengthening energy security and supporting long-term climate neutrality objectives.
MB Energy will contribute its expertise in fuel sourcing, logistics, infrastructure and trading operations, as well as its established service station network. The company also plans to support the conversion of key long-haul logistics sites to accommodate liquefied hydrogen infrastructure.
Volker Ebeling, Senior Vice President New Energy, Storage & Infrastructure at MB Energy, described hydrogen as a critical component of Europe’s energy transition. He highlighted Hamburg’s strategic importance as a gateway for future hydrogen imports and emphasized the value of combining MB Energy’s infrastructure capabilities with Daimler Truck’s hydrogen vehicle technologies and Kawasaki’s liquefied hydrogen expertise.
Daimler Truck is pursuing a dual-track decarbonisation strategy that combines battery-electric and hydrogen-powered transport solutions. The company plans to deploy 100 liquid hydrogen fuel-cell trucks into customer operations beginning in late 2026, with serial production targeted for the early 2030s.
According to Daimler Truck, the large-scale rollout of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles will depend on the availability of reliable and competitively priced liquefied hydrogen supplies across Europe. The company sees liquid hydrogen as particularly suitable for long-haul transport due to its higher energy density and operational flexibility compared to other alternatives.
Manfred Schuckert, Head of Regulatory Strategy at Daimler Truck, said the agreement brings together critical partners across the hydrogen value chain to study and shape scalable hydrogen supply infrastructure for Europe’s transport sector.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries will contribute technologies related to hydrogen liquefaction, storage and maritime transportation. The company has been one of the global pioneers in liquefied hydrogen carrier development and sees the Hamburg initiative as an important step toward establishing international hydrogen trade routes between production regions and major industrial markets.
Kei Nomura, Executive Officer and General Manager of Kawasaki’s Hydrogen Strategy Division, stated that the partnership would help support industrial hydrogen demand and strengthen international energy resilience while advancing climate neutrality goals.
The project reflects the growing momentum behind global hydrogen corridor development, particularly between Asia and Europe. As governments and industries accelerate decarbonisation efforts, international liquefied hydrogen supply chains are increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure for supporting low-carbon heavy industry, freight transport and future energy security.
If successfully implemented, the Hamburg hydrogen corridor could become one of Europe’s first large-scale import hubs for liquefied hydrogen, supporting both industrial users and the next generation of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
