Babcock teams up with Hyundai Heavy, Hyundai Mipo to develop LCO2 carriers

British engineering services company Babcock has partnered with South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) to develop liquefied CO2 carrier designs to service a growing demand for this kind of vessel.

As informed, Babcock’s LGE business will design the cargo handling system for a range of ship sizes, specifications, cargo purities and voyage profiles to produce a highly efficient system, which has been optimised to minimise emissions and cargo loss – thereby reducing environmental impact.

To support global adoption of carbon capture and storage (CCS) – widely acknowledged as a crucial step towards decarbonisation – the transportation of large quantities of liquefied CO2 (LCO2) by ship is set to grow significantly and, as a result, key marine stakeholders have been working to develop ship designs.

“We know that to build the most effective liquefied CO2 cargo handling system, we need to consider the full CO2 value chain. By working with HHI and HMD – among the world’s largest shipyards – and other industry partners, we can design a cargo handling system that is safe, reliable and efficient. We are well on the way to achieving this and expect the commercialisation of our solution in the coming months,” Michael Scott, Programme Manager of Sales and New Product Development for Babcock’s LGE business, said.

He added that LCO2 carriers share several common design features with LPG carriers and Babcock has extensive experience in LPG. The company is currently developing a suite of solutions to assist shipowners in their journey towards decarbonisation. This includes fuel gas supply systems for alternative fuels, carbon capture technologies and a range of retrofittable carbon reduction systems.

HHI recently developed a 40,000 cbm liquified CO2 carrier design and has obtained so far several design approvals from classification societies. The vessel will be equipped with seven IMO type-C cargo tanks with a total capacity of 40,000 cbm. It is designed to carry LCO2 cargo only, but multi-cargoes such as LPG or ammonia can also be considered.