The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has released a landmark study evaluating the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential and costs of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) systems for ships — a first-of-its-kind analysis covering the full carbon value chain at sea.
The study, titled COLOSSUS, assesses five OCCS technologies paired with six marine fuels and three CO2 handling methods. It found that MEA-based OCCS — the most mature technology — can cut well-to-wake emissions by 29% for ships using heavy fuel oil (HFO).
Emissions savings rise dramatically when OCCS is combined with biofuels like bio-LNG or biodiesel, reaching reductions of 69% to 121%.
Using captured CO2 in concrete manufacturing further boosts savings, displacing carbon-intensive cement and increasing reductions to 60%.
Alternatively, converting CO2 into e-methanol using renewable energy offers a 17% reduction when the e-methanol is used as fuel.
Transporting and permanently storing captured CO2 adds just 1% to total emissions for every 1,000 km (1,600 miles), though the cost of avoided carbon remains high — estimated at $269 to $405 per ton for 40% capture on an MR tanker.
Importantly, the findings suggest OCCS could help extend the regulatory viability of existing vessels.
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HFO-fueled ships with OCCS could meet emissions targets until 2032, while LNG-fueled ships could comply through 2035. Replacing fossil fuels entirely with biofuels could ensure compliance well into 2040.
“As we face an increasing array of decarbonization solutions spanning different industries and value chains, coupled with the challenges of quantifying and elucidating carbon flows from source to sink including its re-use, there is a pressing need for a comparable means to understand their net abatement impact,” said GCMD CEO Professor Lynn Loo.
“It helps decision-makers understand the real impact of these technologies across the full carbon chain.”
Though current regulations do not yet define how OCCS fits into GHG intensity targets, GCMD believes the findings offer a foundation for future policy and investment decisions.
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