A consortium of global shipping organisations and the
Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) have received approval in principle from the
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), the USA ship certification agency, to use a carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) system onboard an oil tanker.
The project’s seven-member consortium includes the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) in Singapore, OGCI, ABS, Stena Bulk, Alfa Laval, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and Deltamarin Ltd, which provides ship services for marine and offshore industries.
The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using a CCUS system onboard a vessel and is one of the largest of its kind. Approval in principle allows the consortium to consider whether the project will move to the next stage, which includes engineering, procurement and construction.
The global shipping industry is looking at a range of solutions, including low-carbon fuels and onboard carbon capture, to help achieve a target to halve its ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions by 2050 from a baseline of 2008.
The consortium’s members believe the onboard CCUS system could help accelerate commercial deployment of the technology within the next five years. The two-year, three-phase demonstration project is investigating onboard capture and storage and offloading captured carbon dioxide (CO
2) to address the operational challenges and opportunities the technology represents.
Following a full engineering study, the carbon capture system will be built and tested prior to integration onboard a Stena Bulk medium range (MR) tanker for sea trials and a rigorous stage gate review process will be conducted prior to progression between stages.
Project REMARCCABLEThe consortium began the first phase of ‘Project REMARCCABLE’ (Realising Maritime Carbon Capture to demonstrate the Ability to Lower Emissions) in 2022, which involved conceptual design and a front-end engineering design study of the carbon capture system.
The second phase would include engineering, procurement, and construction of a prototype shipboard carbon capture system and onshore commissioning. Phase three focuses on integrating the carbon capture system with the MR tanker and conducting sea trials. The GCMD plans to launch a study on offloading the liquid CO
2 to resolve potential challenges and inform the third phase of the project.
Michael Traver, head of OGCI’s transport workstream, said: “The ABS’s approval in principle is a significant step forward for an important initiative to reduce emissions from shipping and demonstrates the value of collaborating across industries to develop decarbonisation solutions. As we move towards deployment, OGCI will continue to provide expertise on carbon capture to help our partners show the potential of the technology to meet ambitious decarbonisation goals set by the maritime industry.”
Erik Hånell, CEO of Stena Bulk, said: “It is fantastic be able to receive this AIP from ABS and move forward towards installing a CCUS system on one of our medium range tankers. Advancing carbon capture is one of the central ways that shipping will be able to meet its decarbonisation goals.
“It is a privilege to bring our technical and shipping expertise to the table as the consortium works together to scale the technology. Installing a CCUS system on one of our vessels demonstrates our long-term commitment to technological innovation and sustainability. We intend to use the system beyond the scope of this pilot project, proving to the market what is already possible through collaboration.”