Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi Shipbuilding), a member of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, announced that liquefied CO2 (LCO2) will be used in New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)’s “CCUS R&D and Demonstration Related Projects/Large-Scale CCUS Demonstration Tests in Tomakomai/Demonstration Tests on CO2 Transportation”. The naming and handover ceremony for the transport demonstration test vessel was held at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Shimonoseki Shipyard’s Eura Plant.
The 1,450 cum vessel is 72 m long. It was named “Ekusukuru,” will be chartered by Japan Gas Line Co., Ltd., a co-implementer of the NEDO project, to collect and analyze operation data throughCO2 transportation demonstration tests. In addition, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Co., Ltd. and Ochanomizu University, a national university, have been entrusted with the safety evaluation of LCO 2 transportation operations by the vessel and research and development of pressure control and stability of LCO 2 as subcontractors of the Engineering Association of Japan, which is one of the contractors for this project.We will develop and demonstrate technologies to transport safely and at low cost.
Carbon dioxide Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), which capturesCO2 for conversion and storage, is attracting attention as an effective means of realizing a carbon-neutral society. Since the CO2 emitting area and the storage and utilization sites are often far apart, LCO2 is used as a means of transportingCO2 safely and at low cost.Demand for transport vessels is expected to increase in the future. The MHI Group was responsible for the entire design and construction of the vessel, including the marine tank system to be installed on board the vessel, by utilizing the knowledge and advanced gas handling technology it has cultivated through the construction of liquefied gas carriers (LPG and liquefied petroleum gas carriers and LNG and liquefied natural gas carriers).