Bernhard Schulte orders Northern Lights CO2 carrier
Written by Nick Blenkey
Signing of the newbuilding contract for Bernhard Schulte’s first CO2 ship; left: Mrs. Dongqing He, Representative Bernhard Schulte; right: Mr. Yingzhi Sun, President of DSO. [Photo: Berhard Schulte]
The Northern Lights JV, in which Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies are equal partners, has awarded a time charter agreement to Bernhard Schulte that will see the construction of a fourth 7,500 cubic meter CO2 carrier for its fleet. The new Northern Lights CO2 carrier will be the fourth in a series of sister ships currently under construction at China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co., Ltd (DSOC). It will be the first ship of this type to join the Bernhard Schulte fleet.
“Ordering this vessel is an exciting step in the expansion of Bernhard Schulte’s fleet portfolio in an innovative future tanker segment,” says Ian Beveridge, CEO of Bernhard Schulte. “We are looking forward to becoming part of Northern Lights’ industry-leading project to provide CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. We are furthermore delighted to have Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore as our selected partner in this endeavour. The Schulte Group has long-standing relationships with Chinese shipyards, which is a strong foundation for this outstanding project.”
“This deal marks another major milestone for us. CCS is a safe and efficient way to handle emissions and it is critical to meet climate targets,” says Børre Jacobsen, managing director of Northern Lights. “We are excited to see Bernhard Schulte now entering the liquid CO2 business, as strong partnerships are required to succeed.”
The 130-meter long Northern Lights CO2 carrier vessels will carry 7,500 cubic meters of liquid CO2 in two cylindrical tanks at a maximum 19 bar(g) pressure and minimum -35°C temperature. Keeping their ownThe LNG dual-fueled vessels will each be fitted with a rotor sail and hull air lubrication.
On schedule to be ready to receive CO2 in 2024, Northern Lights offers CO2 transportation and storage services to industrial emitters in Norway and across Europe. It will transport liquefied CO2 from capture sites to an onshore receiving terminal in western Norway, before transporting it by pipeline for permanent storage in a reservoir 2,600 meters under the seabed.
