Danes planning for CCUS

DOWN IN THE HOLE

CARBON DIOXIDE • DANISH PLANS FOR THE TRANSPORT OF CO2 FOR STORAGE ARE COMING TOGETHER, FOLLOWING APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE FROM ABS FOR VESSEL DESIGNS

DAN-UNITY CO2, a joint venture between Danish gas tanker operators Evergas and Navigator Gas, says it is now in a position to place orders for the first dedicated gas carriers for the large-scale transport of carbon dioxide. New vessel designs, developed by TGE Marine, for 12,500-m3 and 22,000-m3 carriers have received approval in principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Dan-Unity CO2 will now move on to invite shipyards to take part in the project.

The company notes that the vessels will be purpose-built and therefore not compatible with other trades; as a consequence, long-term contract commitments will be required to support newbuilding projects. It is anticipated that the ships will transport CO2 from north-west Europe to the Coda Terminal near Reykjavik, Iceland currently being developed by Carbfix, a partner in the Dan-Unity CO2 project, for carbon capture and storage (CCS) use.

Dan-Unity CO2 notes that the recent COP26 summit agreed to phase down the use of coal and to increase the focus on improving CCS technology to limit global warming. The transport of CO2, whether for CCS or carbon capture and use (CCU), will be a key element in the storage of emissions from industries and power plants.

Steffen Jacobsen, CEO of Dan-Unity CO2, says: “We see a growing interest in CCS and CCU and are committed to identify solutions that combine capture, transport and storage. As a leader in the industry, Dan-Unity CO2 is deeply involved in shipping requirements in North European projects of scale.”

A ROLE IN THE FUTURE Vassilios Kroustallis, senior vice-president of global business development at ABS, notes: “Carbon capture can play a role in reducing emissions in a range of industries, but the supply chain will need vessels capable of transporting CO2 safely and efficiently. That’s why ABS is proud to be able to use its industry-leading expertise in gas carriers to support development of these important vessels.”

“Dan-Unity CO2 has taken a leading role in developing the needed transport solutions and the Danish Maritime Fund has supported us in our goals with a grant of DKr 2.8m to develop the vessel designs. We are proud to present the ground-breaking vessel design to yards, interested in building our new vessels,” Jacobsen adds.

Once newbuilding contracts are in place, Dan-Unity CO2 expects that the number of vessels required can be delivered within some 28 months; they will, naturally, run on green energy.

The Carbfix plan involves the storage of captured CO2 in Iceland’s volcanic bedrock, where it will petrify within two years; the project will be able to accommodate 2,500 gigatonnes of CO2, equivalent to more than 55 years’ worth of global emissions. In addition, Dan-Unity CO2 is a partner in Project Greensand, which is aiming to validate the technical and commercial feasibility of CO2 storage in the Danish part of the North Sea. dan-unity.dk www.carbfix.com