Diana Shipping to trial carbon capture system on Capesize bulker with Ecochlor and Sinotech

Greek dry bulk shipping company Diana Shipping is set to test a carbon capture system (CCS) onboard one of its capesize bulk carriers in cooperation with Ecochlor and Sinotech CCS.

The trio has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the installation of a Sinotech scrubber and CCS system onboard Diana’s MV G.P. Zafirakis. This system is designed to capture 25% of the CO2 emitted within the exhaust gas and temporarily store it onboard in liquified form (LCO₂).

Under the arrangement, Sinotech will provide the expertise for a full feasibility study, engineering and overall turn-key package for the installation, crew training as well as support towards type approval certification of the installed system by the vessel’s administration.

Sinotech will also handle the offloading and disposal of the captured CO₂ in China. The installation is intended to take place at a Chinese shipyard, most likely in the Zhoushan province.

Furthermore, the LOI expressed the intention of the parties to explore potential business opportunities and lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters beyond this initial scrubber and CCS installation.

“Our ambition is to be a catalyst for positive change in the maritime industry,” said Evangelos Sfakiotakis, COO of Diana.

“We endorse IMO’s Initial GHG Strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions and are working towards phasing out GHG emissions from our shipping entities as soon as possible.”

Diana Shipping has also joined a collaborative project to study onboard carbon capture technologies as a solution to help decarbonize the maritime industry while enabling the existing ships to continue burning fossil fuels.

The group, which includes industry majors such as Equinor ASA, GasLog LNG Services, Maran Gas Maritime, Minerva Gas, and Neptune Lines, among others, has already launched a multi-month study with five distinct areas of focus: technologies, regulations, operational parameters, financial impacts, and infrastructure.

The Greek shipowner has also jumped on board the methanol bandwagon with the recent letter of intent to procure two 81,200 dwt methanol dual-fuel Kamsarmax newbuilds.

Connecticut-based ballast water treatment specialist Ecochlor joined forces with China’s marine solutions provider company Sinotech last year, creating an alliance in sales and marketing of Sinotech’s carbon capture and storage unit.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Diana Shipping, a key player in the industry’s transition to a more sustainable future. At the same time, our company commits to the continued research, development, and innovation of green and zero-carbon technology,” Phil Gao, Vice General Manager of Sinotech, said.

“We are excited to work with Sinotech and Diana Shipping, and we believe that this cooperation will further our mutual interests towards reducing the carbon footprint in shipping. Ecochlor is committed to supporting the industry’s decarbonization efforts by providing economically viable and effective solutions to shipowners,” Andrew Marshall, CEO of Ecochlor, commented.

In early 2022, Sinotech received an Approval in Principal (AiP) certificate for marine CCS products from Lloyd’s Register (LR), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK), and Bureau Veritas (BV).