K-Line to operate Northern Lights LCO2 carrier duo

Liquid CO2 carriers will play a key role in Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project

The first two 7,500 cubic meter liquefied CO2 carriers being built for the Northern Lights joint venture project will be operated under bare boat and time charters by a London-based subsidiary of Japan’s K-Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.).

Due for delivery from Dalian Shibuilding in 2024, the two vessels will support the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. They will transport CO2 captured from industrial emitters to an onshore terminal in Øygarden, Norway. From there, the CO2 will be delivered by pipeline to dedicated reservoirs 2,600 meters under the seabed in the North Sea for permanent storage.

The ships are being built for Northern Lights JV DA, a registered, incorporated general partnership with shared liability (DA) owned equally by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies.

“K-Line has deep experience in liquefied gas transport and a strong safety and environmental track record,” said Børre Jacobsen, Managing Director of Northern Lights. “We are pleased to partner with K-Line in operationalizing this innovative value chain.”

“We are honored to participate in the Northern Lights project and contribute to the decarbonization of industry. We have been able to develop a new field by making use of our decades of know-how in liquefied gas transport”, said Yukikazu Myochin, president and CEO of K-Line.

Northern Lights and K-Line will jointly establish operational procedures for the safe transportation of liquefied CO2. The ships are classified by DNV and will be registered in Norway and operated under Norwegian (NOR) flag by mainly Norwegian shipboard personnel.