Wärtsilä (HLSE:WRT1V), a Finnish tech manufacturer for the marine industry, has expressed its confidence that carbon capture is about to enter the shipping industry in only a few short years.
This belief was reinforced by Wärtsilä’s partnership with Norwegian shipping firm Solvang for the purpose of installing a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system on a Solvang ethylene carrier.
Both companies look to have the installation process complete by 2023, and by the end of this year they expect to run a land-based test. Estimates say that once installed, the CCS system will be capable of reducing up to 70% of carbon dioxide emissions at the exhaust.
Hence, both Wärtsilä and Solvang are betting on the fact that carbon capture technology will become available to the shipping industry within 2 to 3 years.
And a separate trial run by Japanese transportation company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha or “K” Line points towards the same.
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“K” Line has reported successfully separating and capturing CO2 from the exhaust gas emitted from the company’s coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Company. The small-scale carbon capture plant was installed in August this year together with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.
The specialists from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding were onboard the carrier to operate and maintain the CCS plant, as well as to provide operation instructions to the ship’s crew. In addition, they measured the captured emissions and evaluated the plant’s performance.
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As of mid-September, these activities are now being conducted by the ship’s crew. And they will continue to assess the safety and efficiency of the CCS system to pinpoint any potential issues that may require consideration.
The team is currently also engaged in research and development for the future commercial use of this technology.
