Japanese shipping heavyweight Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has signed bare boat charter and time charter contracts with Northern Lights JV DA for the management of the third CO2 ship.
K Line has already signed contracts for managing the first two 7,500 m3 liquefied CO2 ships scheduled for delivery later this year. In total, Northern Lights has four CO2 ships under construction.
The two first Northern Lights ships are currently 75% completed and will be delivered later this year. In December 2023, Northern Lights placed the order for a fourth CO2 ship, sister to the developing ones currently under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC). With these four ships, Northern Lights will have the world’s largest dedicated CO2 shipping fleet.
The LNG-powered CO2 carriers are independently developed by DSIC, with a length of 130 metres, a beam of 21.2 metres, a structural draught of 8 metres, flying the Norwegian flag of convenience and classed by DNV.
The ship features an LNG dual-fuel main engine, while applying a variety of innovative technologies such as rotor sails, bubble drag reduction, main engine exhaust gas monitoring system and shaft belt generator, which reduces the emission level by about 34% compared to conventional ships and meets the requirements of the most advanced EEDI Phase III.
The management services for the three vessels will be carried out by the company’s London-based subsidiary K Line LNG Shipping (UK) Ltd.
Once delivered, the vessels will be employed on the transportation of liquefied CO2 from Northern Lights customers based in Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands, to Northern Lights’ CO2 receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, from where the CO2 will be injected into the offshore reservoir for permanent storage.
K Line LNG Shipping (UK) Ltd. is working on an operation manual and commissioning protocol and cooperating with relevant parties such as terminal operators and port authorities. It has also launched a crew training program to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the ships, which will be the first of their kind.