DNV Grants AiP for Shell and Brevik Engineering’s LCO2 Carrier Design
DNV has awarded a detailed Approval in Principle (AiP) to Shell International Trading and Shipping Company and Brevik Engineering for their design of a 74,000 cubic meters (cbm) liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier.
The vessel is specifically designed for the Asia Pacific market to enable cost competitive transport of CO2.
This AiP from DNV covers a comprehensive scope across a wide range of disciplines, including the assessment of specific technical challenges for LCO2 carriers. Over 50 documents have been reviewed, with special emphasis on cargo tank design, including tank integrity analysis and suitability of material.
With dimensions capped at 290 meters in length and a 12-meter draft to access key East Asian ports, the designed ship mirrors the size of a 174,000 cbm LNG carrier. It features 15 cylindrical tanks that store 74,000 cbm of liquid CO2 at around -50°C and 6–8 barg, a low-pressure industry standard. The vessel is also designed for future onboard capture of CO2 from the main engine exhaust.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is set to play a key role in decarbonization of industry in Asia Pacific. Emitting countries such as Japan, Korea, and Singapore are studying the possibility of shipping substantial quantities of their own CO2 to store locations within the wider region.
This necessitates the development of larger capacity vessels than those currently planned for European CCS projects. Low-pressure cargo tank designs are a key enabler to commercialize these large LCO2 ships to enable transportation of CO2 at lower cost.
“This AiP underscores the importance of joint innovation and collaboration in advancing solutions that support the development of the wider CCS value chain. Scale is essential to drive down the cost of CCS and this work demonstrates the feasibility of large CO2 carriers with a low carbon footprint,” said Mathias Sørhaug, Business Development Director CO2 shipping, DNV Maritime said:
“Based on a comprehensive technology study, conducted in collaboration with Shell, this innovative design is expected to set new benchmarks in safe, efficient, and sustainable large-scale CO₂ shipping,” added Evert Grødal, Managing Director of Brevik Engineering.
