The first commercial liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) transport ships are completed, marking the crucial last steps in getting Northern Lights JV's carbon capture and sequestration project into action.
Northern Lights is a joint venture with major energy companies Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, as Interesting Engineering reported.
Northern Lights commissioned a fleet of four LCO2 transport ships, with the Northern Pioneer being the first to arrive in November 2024, followed by the Northern Pathfinder a month later.
These vessels will play a crucial role in Europe's decarbonization plans as they collect CO2 from clients in Europe and safely transport the cooled and pressurized gas to the Northern Lights receiving facilities in Norway.
The 426-foot-long ships were constructed by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC), which is a China State Shipbuilding Corporation unit, as IE explained. The final two ships will be built by the similarly named Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co., although a delivery date has yet to be confirmed.
Lin Jiming, Vice President of DSIC, shared a statement following the Northern Pioneer's delivery to mark the occasion.
"We take great pride in designing and constructing the world's first ship for commercial CO2 transport. The delivery of this ship will establish DSIC as a pioneer in CO2 transportation solutions, and we remain committed to collaborating with Northern Lights to realize their CCS objectives."
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is an important step toward net-zero goals, as Northern Lights stated. Their open and flexible infrastructure aims to safely transport this planet-warming gas from industrial collection sites to its facility in Norway for intermediate storage.
The final stage in its plan is the safe and permanent storage of the gas in a reservoir more than 8,000 feet below the seabed around Norway.
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Longship, as this overarching project is called, is the Norwegian government's full-scale carbon capture and storage project. It hopes to demonstrate the feasibility of this decarbonization approach to Europe and the rest of the world.
One of the first confirmed customers of the project is Heidelberg Materials in Brevik, Norway. The company launched its evoZero cement project in 2023, which it claims is the world's first carbon-captured net-zero cement.
Building materials, including cement and steel, account for nearly 40 percent of global planet-heating emissions, according to a UN report. That means these industries have a lot of work to do to lower their pollution output.
With two ships already delivered and its carbon capture and sequestration plans nearing completion, Northern Lights is already on its way toward making a positive environmental impact.
The Longship Project can store 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year, with a plan to expand that capability if demand continues to grow. As Interesting Engineering shared, Heidelberg Materials has already reserved a total capacity of over 880,000 tons of CO2 per year for its more eco-friendly cement business.
Both ships are being tested and will begin mechanical commissioning once they arrive in Norway. Upon the December 27 delivery of the second ship, Northern Lights shared a comment on the company's progress.
"This marks another significant milestone in building the world's largest dedicated CO2 shipping fleet and demonstrates Northern Lights' commitment to building a reliable value chain to support Europe's decarbonization goals.
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