Northern Lights: Steel cut for third LCO2 carrier

Northern Lights, a joint venture (JV) of energy majors Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, has revealed that the first steel was cut for its third liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier.

As informed, the steel-cutting ceremony took place at China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. (DSOC) on May 30, 2024.

Northern Lights is developing a ship-based CO2 transport solution running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel with a wind-assisted propulsion system and air lubrication. The wind propulsion system will be provided by Finnish rotor sail manufacturer Norsepower.

The third ship will bear the characteristics of its sister ships and have a cargo capacity of 7,500 cbm.

The order for this vessel was placed in September last year. The LCO2 carrier will be managed by Japanese shipping heavyweight Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) on behalf of owner Northern Lights JV.

In total, four ships will be delivered to the Northern Lights JV, making it the owner of the world’s largest dedicated CO2 shipping fleet.

The construction of the first two vessels began in November 2022 at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry. In early 2024, the LCO2 carriers were installed with custom-built 7,500 cubic meters cargo tanks designed for the transportation of liquefied CO2.

Combining LNG-powered propulsion with wind-assisted technology and air lubrication, the ships are expected to have around 34% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional ships running on marine fuel, according to the company.

Once completed, the liquid CO2 carriers will embark on a mission to load captured and liquefied CO2 from industrial emitters and transport it to the Northern Lights receiving facilities in Øygarden, Norway, from where the CO2 will be injected into the offshore reservoir for permanent storage.