Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to explores ocean-going LCO2 transportation

In a move towards advancing carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and Tokyo-based Nihon Shipyard Co., a joint venture between Imabari Shipbuilding Co. and Japan Marine United Corporation, have joined forces with Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corporation, MHI said on December 27. The collaboration aims to conduct a comprehensive study on ocean-going liquefied CO2 (LCO2) transportation.

MHI announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), outlining the collective effort to explore international transportation solutions for liquefied CO2. The project aligns with Japan's commitment to carbon dioxide capture and storage, with plans to initiate these efforts from 2028 onwards.

The Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) has already launched a feasibility study on an advanced CCS project in Japan, making it a public-offered project in 2023. MHI envisions that the demand for LCO2 carriers will rise in the near future as the transportation of captured CO2 from Japan to storage areas becomes a crucial component of various CCS projects.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Nihon Shipyard have already embarked on a joint study focused on the construction of LCO2 carriers. Meanwhile, Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corporation have been selected as key players in the Japanese advanced CCS project by JOGMEC, with a specific emphasis on overseas CO2 storage.

Nihon Shipyard is concurrently positioning itself for the future by working on the commercialization of ships powered by LNG and ammonia.