German shipowner Bernhard Schulte has marked a keel laying milestone in the construction of its first LNG dual-fuel liquid CO2 (LCO2) tanker at Dalian Shipbuilding & Offshore Company (DSOC) in China.
As disclosed, the keel laying ceremony for the 7,500 cubic meter (cbm) LCO2 carrier took place at the end of November 2024, a year after the shipbuilding order was placed and long-term charter with Northern Lights, a joint venture owned by Shell, TotalEnergies, and Equinor, secured.
The newbuilding is designed as an LCO2 tanker of the type 2PG/3G, suitable for the transportation of refrigerated liquefied gases in two cylindrical-shaped independent cargo tanks of the IMO type C.
Scheduled for delivery in 2026, it is the fourth LNG dual-fuel LCO2 carrier that will go on a long-term time charter with Northern Lights and support the development of the world’s first cross-border CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.
Said to be the first of their kind, all four ships are sister vessels with the same design and cargo capacity custom-built for transporting liquefied CO2 from Northern Lights’ customers across Northwest Europe to the CO2 receiving terminal at Øygarden, Norway before permanent geological storage.
In addition to utilizing LNG as the primary fuel, the vessels will combine other technologies, such as wind-assisted rotor sail and air lubrication, to have around 34% lower carbon footprint compared to conventional ships running on marine fuel.
The vessels’ key features include pressurized cargo tanks designed for the transportation of liquefied CO2, contributing to a reduced carbon intensity compared to conventional alternatives.
The first in the four-unit fleet, Northern Pioneer, which will be managed by Japanese shipping company K Line, was recently delivered and is ready to commence work for the Northern Lights.
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Northern Lights: First LNG-fueled LCO2 carrier ready for work
Northern Lights is said to be the first to offer commercial CO2 transport and storage as a service. The CO2 receiving facility in Øygarden, Norway, was completed in September and is ready to receive CO2 from Norwegian and European industries.