In awarding Geodis BM 14 gas tanker haulage contracts, including four for liquid hydrogen, Air Liquide has selected the partner capable of putting an operational solution together in less than a month.

Air Liquide is one of Europe’s leading liquid hydrogen producers, and the transport of this highly flammable gas is a niche market reserved for a small number of specialists, which now include Geodis BM. Four of the 14 new tanker haulage contracts that it has just won from Air Liquide, covering CO₂, noble gases and combustible gases, concern liquid hydrogen. To convince the company in spite of not having any references in this field, Geodis BM had to propose a highly competitive solution and prove that it was capable of deploying it in double-quick time. "Geodis BM was able to take over the 14 contracts from the previous service provider less than a month after receiving our request, while giving us guarantees in regard to safety and responsiveness", explains Stéphane Buffavand, manager of the Liquid Service Centre (LSC) in Moissy, near Paris.

Within a very short time, Geodis BM selected 26 experienced drivers and deployed a fleet of 14 specially equipped tractor units, fitted notably with electronic chips for identification during loading and generators for towing nitrogen tankers. The entire system was made compliant with the safety procedures applied by the Air Liquide LSCs. After taking additional training at Air Liquide, the drivers involved in hydrogen tanker transport were provided with explosion-proof equipment. Eric Bello, project manager at Geodis BM, explains: "You have to handle this gas with the utmost care".