EverLoNG: There are no showstopping regulations to prevent onboard CCS adoption today

There are no showstopping regulatory or class rule frameworks preventing onboard carbon capture (OCC) from being implemented today, the EverLoNG consortium concluded at the end of the three-and-a-half-year project which sought to encourage the uptake of OCC by trialing its use onboard LNG-fueled ships.

Following the two demonstration campaigns and six work packages, the EverLoNG consortium presented the final results of the project launched in 2022 with €3.4 million in support from an EU climate action fund.

Led by TNO, the project aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of carbon capture on board two LNG-fueled ships, owned and operated by project partners TotalEnergies and Heerema Marine Contractors, to identify and help solve any technical barriers to the implementation and lower the costs associated with the technology.

According to the project partners, several significant milestones were reached, including two successful demonstration campaigns (capture, liquefaction, and storage at 10kg/h) onboard the TotalEnergies-chartered LNG carrier, the Seapeak Arwa, and Heerema Marine Contractors’ SSCV Sleipnir; the development of a Port Readiness Tool for CO2 (PRT-CO2) and a Roadmap for OCC implementation in Europe towards 2050; and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results indicating that OCC could help avoid between 39-44% of CO2e over the entire lifecycle compared to the non-intervention benchmark case.

The project also found that there are no showstopping regulatory or class rule frameworks that would prevent OCC from being implemented today.

OCC has been identified as a practical solution for decarbonizing the maritime industry in several studies, including those conducted by DNV and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD).

In its latest report, the Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) offered key recommendations to consider as the shipping industry looks to adopt this technology. The report highlighted the regulatory and safety considerations for the adoption of OCC while also recognizing the importance of developing a secure and scalable downstream carbon value chain and increasing carbon capture system cost-effectiveness.

The industry’s interest in this prospective decarbonization solution was also confirmed by the recently launched LNGameChanger project – HAV Group’s joint effort with coastal cruise operator Havila Voyages, natural gas company Molgas (formerly Gasnor), and research institution SINTEF.

Through this project, the Norwegian companies intend to develop a new solution for capturing and storing CO2 from LNG-fueled solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power trains, resulting in a CO2-equivalent intensity between the 2045 and 2050 emission limits.

LNGameChanger will also address the infrastructure needs related to decentralized CO2 collection and transport in port.