On May 30th, Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. (DSOC), together with Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Marine Design and Research Institute of China (MARIC), Jiangsu Watts Energy & Engineering (WE) and Germany TGE Marine signed a joint development agreement for liquid carbon dioxide (LCO₂) carriers.
According to the Paris Agreement, the world’s major economic regions will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. By then, carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) solutions will have contributed about 13% (15.6 billion tons) of the total cumulative global carbon reductions of 120 billion tons, and carbon storage is expected to reach 6-7 billion tons in the year 2050.
As early as 2019, DSOC started to enter the “dual carbon” field and undertook the world’s first LCO₂ carrier project of Northern Lights. The Northern Lights 7,500 m³ LCO₂ carrier project currently under construction has an overall length of about 130 meters, which equipped with the world’s first semi-cooled, half-pressurized liquid cargo tank made of special materials.
Also, the main engine is equipped with both LNG and diesel fuels to meet the most stringent emission requirements. In addition, it meets the requirements of the cutting-edge Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) by applying two innovative technologies: rotor sails and air lubrication, which significantly reduce emission levels.
Under the agreement, all parties will give full play to their respective advantages in the field of carbon dioxide and ships, and collaborate in the fields of industrial resources integration, industry specifications, ship program development, cryogenic cargo maintenance system and storage device research and development, and jointly develop and promote a series of LCO₂ carriers.