On August 28, the world’s first 7,500 m3 liquid carbon dioxide (LCO₂) carrier built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Dalian Shipbuilding Industry co.,ltd. (DSIC) for Norway’s Northern Lights completed its diesel sea trial.
The LCO₂ carrier is designed and built by DSIC with complete independent intellectual property rights, measuring about 130 meters in overall length, 21.2 meters in breadth, and 8 meters in structural draught. It is equipped with two fully pressurized C-type liquid cargo tanks that can withstand temperatures as low as -35°C and transport a total of 7,500 m3 of liquid carbon dioxide.
The sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emission levels meet the requirements of the most advanced Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI Phase III), and it is the world’s first large-scale ship specializing in serving the marine carbon capture and storage industry.
After delivered, it will be used for carbon dioxide capture and storage in Europe, and the collected carbon dioxide will be transported to the carbon dioxide receiving terminal on the west coast of Norway to be processed and injected into the seabed for permanent storage at 2,600 meters below the sea floor, which will play a leading role and demonstration role for the global model of solving the problem of carbon dioxide emissions from the land.
It is understood that Northern Lights is developing the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. The first phase of the Northern Lights development with a storage capacity of 1.5 million tonnes CO2 per annum is part of the Longship project. Longship reflects the Norwegian Government’s ambition to develop a full-scale CCS value chain in Norway. Northern Lights are on schedule to be ready to receive CO2 in 2024, enabling a safe and reliable CO2 transport and storage service to industrial emitters in Norway and from across Europe.