VIDEO: MHI and TotalEnergies in liquefied CO2 carrier project

Written by Nick Blenkey
Liqyefied CO2 carrier rendering

Liquefied CO2 carriers will play a key role in carbon capture strategies,

With increasing attention being paid to carbon capture as means of combating climate change, the question that arises is “what do you do with the carbon, once it’s captured?” Whatever its destination, the carbon will have to be transported there and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and France’s TotalEnergies are working on that part of the problem. They have initiated a feasibility study, aimed at the development of a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding says the its parent MHI Group is pursuing a range of measures for a decarbonized society, and establishing a CO2 ecosystem is a key part of that effort. With carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) attracting attention worldwide as an effective means to achieve decarbonization LCO2 carriers play a pivotal role in transporting CO2 from its emission sources to storage sites or facilities for utilization, and demand for these vessels is expected to increase in the future.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding says it is actively pursuing commercialization of LCO2 carriers. MHI Group is aiming to contribute to the construction of the CCUS value chain by bringing together the knowledge of the group companies, such as the advanced gas handling technologies accumulated by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in building LPG and LNG carriers, and the CO2 capture technologies of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, which claims the world’s leading market share in this sector.

Bruno Seilhan, vice president CCUS at TotalEnergies, said: “We are pleased to partner with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, whose expertise in shipbuilding is well proven, in order to study large tonnage liquid CO2 carrier opportunities. Such vessels will be key to accommodate the expected surge in transported CO2 volumes for geological storage triggered by the acceleration in net zero carbon targets worldwide and to meet world industrial emitters’ needs. It is fully aligned with our Climate Ambition to get to net zero emissions by 2050.”

Toru Kitamura, president of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding said: “We are pleased that TotalEnergies, which plays an important role in the world’s leading CCUS value chain market, has expressed high regard for our technology and experience. We believe that LCO2 carriers are an effective solution for achieving a decarbonized world. We will continue to actively pursue technology development in cooperation with partners seeking to achieve decarbonization using LCO2 carriers, with the aim of market formation for the CCUS value chain.”

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