Seatrium and Solvang in world’s first full-scale CCS retrofit

Clipper Eris. [Photo: Solvang ASA]

Solvang ASA has selected Singapore’s Seatrium to carry out the world’s first first full-scale, turnkey carbon capture and storage retrofit on an oceangoing ship: the 21,289 cubic meter ethylene carrier Clipper Eris.

Scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year, the retrofit will see a 7 MW Wärtsilä carbon capture and storage (CCS) system installed on the ship. It will use amine cleaning technology to capture 70% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the exhaust gas from the main engine and the project involves the entire value chain for handling CO2, including liquefaction and storage onboard the vessel.

Seatrium’s key scope of work includes basic design, detailed engineering, procurement, upgrading of electrical and automation systems, as well as the integration of a carbon capture and compression / storage system.

Wärtsila and Solvang first announced plans for the CCS retrofit project back in October 2021 (see earlier story) and in September last year it received support from Norway’s Enova fund that enabled it to move from shoreside testing at Wärtsila’s research facilities in Moss, Norway, to the full-scale shipboard installation.

“Solvang is pleased to partner with Seatrium for our full-scale pilot project for CO2 capture onboard Clipper Eris,” said Tor Ask, fleet director at Solvang. “We have enjoyed many years of successful partnerships and Seatrium has a strong track record for decarbonization retrofit works, including the installation of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) for four of our very large gas carriers (VLGCs). The selection of Seatrium aligns with our strategic direction of delivering energy efficient solutions and green energy services for a lower carbon future. The technology will be piloted onboard the vessel over a year while it is operating commercially. If the pilot project is successful, Solvang intends to install the technology on some of our vessels, including newbuilds, thereby contributing to a faster take-up of the technology.”

“We would like to thank Solvang for entrusting Seatrium with this milestone project and for taking our long existing partnership to a new level of collaboration in support of our collective energy transition goals,” said Alvin Gan, executive vice president of Seatrium Repairs and Upgrades. “We are excited to be part of this game-changing world’s first full-scale turnkey pilot CCS retrofit. At Seatrium, we are committed to advancing environmental sustainability through the development of industry-leading solutions and the seamless execution of our projects. Our collaboration with Solvang on Clipper Eris will further boost our strong track record in the areas of maritime decarbonization upgrades and retrofits which are expected to continue to grow in the coming years.”