Industry Partners to Install CCS System on Four New Capital Gas’ LCO2 Carriers

Capital Gas, Erma First and Babcock have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to install a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system, CARBON FIT, on board four new liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers.

Due for delivery by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in 2026, the 22,000 cbm LCO2 carriers will join the Capital Gas managed fleet as the largest of their kind ever built.

The Erma First CARBON FIT system holds Approval in Principle (AiP) from both Lloyd’s Register and DNV.

It uses amine absorption technology based on a proprietary amine solvent to absorb CO2 from flue gases.

The resultant mix is then heated to produce a chemical reaction that reverses the absorption, separating the CO2 from the solvent. Subsequently, the released CO2 is liquefied using Babcock LGE’s ecoCO2 system and stored on board the ship in pressurized low-temperature storage for subsequent offloading.

Since the regenerated solvent can be re-used, the process creates a highly efficient regenerative loop for CCS.

According to Konstantinos Stampedakis, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Erma First, the CCS systems are expected to cut vessel CO2 emissions by 15% to 30% Under normal conditions.

However, at this specific project the CO2 capture rate will exceed 70%.

“This will play a significant role in helping Capital Gas to achieve its decarbonization objectives but also to have the first almost carbon neutral vessels,” Stampedakis said.

“The addition of onboard carbon capture to these first-of-a-kind vessels, in conjunction with our industry-defining ecoCO2 system, is a significant step towards achieving the shipping industry’s emissions reduction targets.

“The ecoCO2 design concept for handling both CO2 and LPG cargoes provides a flexible solution that can easily be upgraded to incorporate carbon capture and storage requirements,” added Neale Campbell, Managing Director, Babcock LGE.