Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, TotalEnergies team up on LCO2 carrier

Japan’s shipbuilding company Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and French energy major TotalEnergies have joined forces to carry out a feasibility study for the development of a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is actively pursuing commercialization of LCO2 carriers, and this project is expected to make a significant contribution to the establishment of a CO2 ecosystem in the CO2 transport sector.

This will represent one of the key components of the carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) value supply chain.

LCO2 carriers have an important role in transporting CO₂ from its emission sources to storage sites or facilities for utilization, and demand for these vessels is expected to increase in the future.

“Such vessels will be key to accommodate the expected surge in transported CO₂ volumes for geological storage triggered by the acceleration in net zero carbon targets worldwide and to meet world industrial emitters’ needs. It is fully aligned with our Climate Ambition to get to net zero emissions by 2050,” Bruno Seilhan, Vice President CCUS at TotalEnergies, said.

MHI Group is pursuing a range of measures for a decarbonized society, and establishing a CO2 ecosystem is a key part of that effort.

Furthermore, CCUS is attracting attention worldwide as an effective means to achieve decarbonization, the company concluded.

In June 2021, Japanese shipping companies MOL and K Line have partnered up on research into the potential for large-scale CO2 carriers.

What is more, the companies have joined forces with classification society ClassNK and performed tests on “the world’s first” onboard CO2 capture plant.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will start with the installation of a small carbon capture device on the 89,000 DWT coal carrier ship Corona Utility operated by K Line for Tohoku Electric Power.

The project’s aim is not only to verify the efficacy of capturing and storing CO2 from a vessel’s gas emissions, but also the operability and safety of CO2 capture facilities at sea.