Wiernicki: Net zero can’t be delivered without carbon capture

ABS chairman, president and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki: “Shipping will be the vehicle for the green transition.”

“Carbon capture is going to be a key transformational technology for shipping to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,” said ABS chairman, president and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki, speaking at the Posidonia event in Athens this week. “It will be critical to addressing the challenge before us, which is the sheer gradient of the curve. At the moment we can only see the outline of a solution to get us to 2050. But it is clear already that net zero cannot realistically be delivered without efficient carbon capture and storage technology.”

Wiernicki said that rapid development and scaling are going to be decisive factors if the industry is to meet the sustainability target.

“The speed of the transition to net zero will be driven by the speed of the development of the carbon and hydrogen value chains. In order to get to net zero by 2050 we will need 10 times more renewable energy than we have in place today and extensive carbon capture capabilities,” he said. “The hydrogen value chain includes all activities related to the production of green and blue hydrogen and the conversion of hydrogen into other low- and zero-carbon fuels as a carrier, such as for methanol, methane and ammonia. Shipping’s new fuel story is only just starting to be written. The next ten years will determine which fuels will have a seat at the table based on their availability and scalability, safety, pricing, infrastructure maturity, ship type and trade routes.”

ABS IN CARBON CAPTURE JDP

Onboard CO2 capture and storage system (OCSS) technology returns CO2 from the exhaust gas back to the ship for storage by the process of absorption, regeneration and separation. The stored CO2, as a form of byproduct, can then be safely offloaded to shoreside facilities after entering port.

ABS has signed a joint development agreement program to develop an OCCS with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) and leading LNG carrier operator GasLog

The three companies will collaborate on the design of an optimal OCCS for an LNG carrier to be built by DSME and verify the system through various risk analysis and tests before installation and operation. At the same time the project will seek to obtain ABS approval in principle (AIP) for the OCCS system. OCCS joint development is intended to be complete by the first quarter of 2023. ABS will guide the rules and regulations for OCCS development and provide technical advice and support. In particular, ABS will conduct a series of risk assessments and supervise the assessment procedure for the final AIP for this technology.

DSME received an order for four LNG carriers from GasLog last year. These vessels are scheduled to be delivered sequentially from the first half of 2024. The actual installation of OCCS on the LNG carrier is targeted to coincide with construction. GasLog will undertake the technical requirements for the installation and operation of OCCS. It will also provide the ship management know-how necessary for OCCS design evaluation.