Hunter Group, DNV to develop CCS shipping solutions

Oslo-listed Hunter Group ASA and DNV classification society have entered into a joint cooperation agreement for the development of a low-pressure mid-stream shipping solution for Carbon Capture and Storage.

The parties have agreed to work together to develop a 40-70K cbm liquified CO2 carrier with 20-30K cbm feeder vessels with the aim to meet defined targets towards a sustainable CCS shipping solution to be operated on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and European waters.

Both technological and operational measures will be assessed, as well as hull and cargo tank designs.

Hunter said that alternative fuels such as ammonia, methanol, fuel cells and CO2 abatement technologies will also be evaluated as part of this project.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the highly competent people at DNV, a world leading Classification Society and the only one with CO2 transportation experience, to develop a shipping solution that will contribute to dramatically to reduce GHG Emissions and hopefully get us closer to reaching the goals of Net Zero by 2050,” Erik A.S. Frydendal, CEO of Hunter Group said.

“We are looking forward to working with Hunter Group in order to attempt to solve the challenges facing CCS shipping, both when it comes to hull and cargo designs as well as choice of fuel,” Trond Hodne, Business Director Maritime of DNV added.

CCS is expected to play a key role in decarbonizing the world by 2050. A large portion of the captured CO2 will involve seaborne transportation, which will require a substantial number of large CO2 carriers. As a result, many industry majors are looking into the development of sustainable solutions to cater to the expected need.

South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders and shipping companies have been the most proactive in the field and have marked significant progress in developing LCO2 carriers.

Last year, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) acquired approval in principle (AiP) for the design of a large-scale liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) carrier from the compatriot classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). Meanwhile, Japan’s Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Corporation launched the construction of a demonstration ship for liquefied CO2 transportation.

In South Korea, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) won design approval for the development of the world’s first 30,000cbm liquefied carbon dioxide carrier, while Hyundai Heavy Industries Group (HHI) and Hyundai Glovis won AiP from ABS and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime Administrator for a 74,000 cbm design of a LCO2 carrier. In addition, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) is developing a 40,000 cbm liquefied carbon dioxide carrier (LCO2). 

Several projects are also underway studying the entire CCS value chain to assess the infrastructural requirements and gain insights into supply-demand and safety prerequisites.