The Northern Lights CO2 capture and storage project has ordered its third vessel for the transportation of captured carbon in a liquified form.
The contract for the shipbuilding was signed with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry in Dalian, China. The first two vessels are already under construction at the port city. The newest ship will be constructed according to similar specifications, featuring a cargo capacity of 7,500 m3 and a length of 130 meters.
The ships have been engineered for dual-fuel LNG operation, incorporating a wind-assisted propulsion system and air lubrication. These advancements contribute to a reduction in carbon intensity by approximately 34% in comparison to traditional systems.
The three vessels will be the largest dedicated carbon ships globally, custom-built with pressurized cargo tanks for the transportation of liquefied carbon. These tanks will maintain the liquefied CO2 at a pressure of 15 bar(g) and a temperature of -26°C (-14.8°F).
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The first two ships were ordered in 2021 and are set to be delivered by the middle of 2024.
The Northern Lights, which is one of the first carbon capture, utilization and storage projects in the world, is expected to begin operations in 2024.
Upon becoming operational, the vessels will collect captured and liquified carbon from industrial emitters across Europe and transport it to the Northern Lights’ receiving sites located in Øygarden, situated along the western coast of Norway. The carbon will then be temporarily stored in onshore tanks before being transported through a pipeline to an offshore reservoir, where it will be securely stored at a depth of 2,600 meters beneath the seabed.
“We are very pleased to announce that we are increasing our shipping capacity,” said Børre Jacobsen, Managing Director of Northern Lights, during the signing ceremony for the contract award on Aug. 30. “Our shipping solution is scalable and provides the necessary flexibility to service industrial emitters across Europe. The award of a ship building contract for a third ship is a response to an increasing demand for cross-border CO2 transport and storage.”
The Northern Lights project is a joint venture of Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies.
Read more: Northern Lights Signs Its First Commercial And First Ever Cross-Border CO2 Transport Deal
