Value Maritime to install world’s 1st onboard CCS unit on ship in operation

Dutch maritime technology company Value Maritime has developed an onboard CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) solution for the maritime industry that will be installed onboard an operational vessel.

A capture module captures CO₂ from the vessel’s exhaust and uses the CO₂ to charge a CO₂ battery — a CO₂ storage facility on which CO₂ can be charged and discharged.

The capture module will be integrated into Value Maritime’s Filtree system — a small prefabricated, pre-installed, “plug and play” gas cleaning system.

As informed, Value Maritime’s first CO₂ capture module and CO₂ battery will be installed on Visser Shipping’s Nordica vessel in October this year, making the Nordica the first vessel to capture and store CO₂ onboard a vessel whilst in operation. The vessel will be operated by X-Press Feeders, a container shipping group operating out of Singapore.

Specifically, Value Maritime’s system is based on a technology to remove CO₂ from the vessels’ exhaust gas. The CO₂ is used to charge Value Maritime’s CO₂ battery; an onboard storage facility which can charge and discharge CO₂ infinitely. The charged CO₂ battery will be offloaded in ports and transported to CO₂ customers wthat “re-use” the CO₂. After CO₂ discharge, the CO₂ battery returns to the vessel, to be recharged with CO₂. This has been described by Value Maritime as a 100% circular solution.

First onboard CO₂ capture and storage facility worldwide

With the installation of Value Maritime’s CO₂ capture module and CO₂ battery, Value Maritime is said to be the first company worldwide to install a capture and storage facility onboard a vessel in operation.

Classification society Bureau Veritas has been involved in the relevant approval of the system.

Value Maritime will start loading and offloading the CO₂ batteries at the Rotterdam Short Sea Terminal to discharge the batteries at greenhouses in Rotterdam Area, that re-use the CO2 to grow their crops.

Value Maritime said it expects to expand to additional locations shortly, amongst others Bremerhaven and Hamburg and will subsequently follow clients’ requests to set up CO₂ infrastructure in any port that clients desire.

The CO₂ capture and onboard storage capabilities, developed by Value Maritime can be endless and the system could capture up to 100% of the vessel’s CO₂ emissions, enabling a huge impact on the vessel’s CO₂ footprint.

“Installing the module will not only be beneficial for our clients, but ensures that the maritime industry can achieve its goals for 2050 in the short term,” Christiaan Nijst, co-founder of Value Maritime, commented.

Since the start of Value Maritime in 2017, the company claims it has helped customers to achieve concrete savings in emissions and in euros. Thanks to its technology, the emission of sulfur oxides (SOx) in shipping has been reduced by 1.4k tonne and ships have avoided 85k tonne CO₂. Furthermore, the ultrafine particle emission reduction is equal to 16k cars driving around the world and shipping companies saved €10 million in fuel.

Value Maritime has equipped 12 vessels with a Filtree unit with a current orderbook of 5, including one repeating order from Dutch container transport provider Visser Shipping.

“We are satisfied with the Filtree Systems already installed on our vessels. With the additional CO2 capture solution, we can further improve our vessel’s sustainable footprint from day one, while preparing us for future environmental regulations,” Douwe Visser, owner of Visser Shipping, said.