Northern Pioneer ship made by China's Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Northern Lights
A Chinese shipbuilding firm has constructed the world’s first commercial liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) carrier.
The carrier – named Northern Pioneer – was constructed by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co, a China State Shipbuilding Corporation unit.
The ship is about 426 feet (130 meters) long and 69 feet (21.2 meters) wide, and it can transport 2,64,860 cubic feet (7500 cubic meters) of liquefied carbon dioxide in a single trip.
The ship uses liquefied natural gas dual-fuel technology, meeting high global energy efficiency standards.
Northern Pioneer was handed over to Norway’s Northern Lights JV clients at Dalian City, northeast China’s Liaoning Province.
Northern Lights’ first ship
Northern Lights is a joint venture of energy majors Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies. The European JV is the first to offer commercial CO2 transport and storage as a service.
Northern Pioneer is the first in a fleet of four liquefied CO2 (LCO2) transport ships, which the JV will receive.
It combines LNG-powered propulsion with wind-assisted rotor sail technology – which the company believes will reduce the carbon footprint of the carrier by around 34 percent compared to conventional ships running on marine fuel.
DSIC is also building the Northern Pathfinder – a sister ship of Northern Pioneer. Two additional ships for Norway’s JV are being built by Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co., Ltd (DSOC).
“We take great pride in designing and constructing the world’s first ship for commercial CO2 transport. The delivery of this ship will establish DSIC as a pioneer in CO2 transportation solutions, and we remain committed to collaborating with Northern Lights to realize their CCS objectives,” said Lin Jiming, Vice President of DSIC.
The ship will be registered in Norway and managed by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE).
“We are delighted to have reached a significant milestone for the Northern Lights value chain making the first step in our journey. With our extensive knowledge and experience in the operation of various liquefied gas carriers, the “K” LINE Group is determined to work together to contribute to Europe’s decarbonization through safe and reliable liquefied CO2 transportation,” said Yukikazu Myochin, President and CEO of “K” LINE.
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Storing liquefied CO2
The CO2 receiving facility in Øygarden, Norway, was completed in September and is now ready to receive from Norwegian and European industries.
The partnership began in 2017, and construction of the facilities began in 2021 after the owners finalized their investment decision and the approval vote for the Longship project in the Norwegian parliament.
The Longship Project can store 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year. There is also a plan to increase the storage capacity of the project as demand for it grows across Europe.
According to a press release by the company, Northern Lights JV has reserved a total capacity of 0.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year for the Heidelberg Materials cement factory in Brevik and the Hafslund Oslo Celsio waste-to-energy plant.
It is also planning to engage with emitters across Europe to use its facilities.
