World’s First LCO2 Tanker Arrives in Norway
The world’s first commercial CO2 carrier, the Northern Pioneer, has arrived at the Norwegian port of Stavanger. Their arrival marks the final step in the completion of the Aurora Value Chain, a major carbon capture and storage initiative.
Carbon capture and storage technology captures around 90% of CO2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels in power generation and industries such as cement and steel. This prevents it from entering the atmosphere and stores it underground.
The vessel will soon go to the CO2 receiving terminal in Øygarden for commissioning and begin operations later this year.
The 130-meter-long vessel is designed to transport 8,000 tons of liquefied CO2 from the European industrial base to Norway. It is the first of four sister ships built specifically for the transport of CO2.
The vessel will be registered in Norway and managed by Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line).
Tim Hegen, Managing Director of Northern Lights, stressed the importance of the ship’s arrival and called it another milestone in creating the world’s largest fleet of dedicated CO2 carriers.
Christening Ceremony
Image credit: Northern Lights JV/Linkedin
The Northern Pioneer was blessed by her godmother, Stavanger native and former Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina Blue.
Scheduled for delivery in November 2024, the vessel will safely transport CO2 captured from Europe’s industrial base to an onshore terminal in western Norway. From there, the CO2 will be piped to permanent storage tanks 2,600 meters below the seabed.
The Northern Lights joint venture, a partnership between Equinor, Shell and Total Energy, is the first company to offer commercial CO2 transport and storage services.
The company signed two agreements, the first with Yara International, the world’s first commercial agreement for cross-border CO2 transfer and storage, and the other with Orsted of Denmark.
Yara plans to reduce CO2 emissions from ammonia production at Yara Sluiskill by 800,000 tonnes per year. Yara Sluiskill plans to expand its CO2 liquefaction capacity to 12 million tonnes over the next 15 years, investing around €200 million.
The liquefied CO2 will be stored in above-ground tanks at Øygarden and then injected into a marine saline aquifer for permanent storage. The project is expected to start in 2025 and last 15 years.
