Liquid carbon dioxide carriers equipped with dual-fuel engines
Illustration of the Carbon Capture Heat Recovery system (Source: MAN Energy Solutions)
MAN Energy Solutions is to supply ME-GI dual-fuel engines to Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd for installation on two new 7,500m3 liquid carbon dioxide carriers. The ships are to be built for Northern Lights, a joint venture between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies, and are due for delivery in 2024.
The two tankers will operate in the carbon capture and storage project, Longship, a Norwegian Government initiative. Northern Lights plans to develop a cross-border, open-source carbon transport and storage system, offering European companies an underground facility for the permanent storage of carbon dioxide. The ships’ MAN B&W 7S35ME-GI engines will operate mostly on LNG and will be complemented by other sustainability features including air lubrication and wind-assisted propulsion, MAN said in a statement. Carbon intensity is likely to fall by about 34% compared with conventional systems.
The engine company’s Wayne Jones, CEO and member of the Executive Board, commented: “With the current focus in the maritime world on reducing methane slip, our dual-fuel ME-GIs will keep carrier emissions to a minimum. These vessels’ construction enables the revolutionary development of a flexible and efficient, European infrastructure for CO2 capture from industrial customers. I am convinced that the Northern Lights project has great potential for application across Europe.”
The Norwegian Government’s Longship project aims to demonstrate that carbon-capture technology can be applied to larger industrial plants and set a new standard for future industrial projects. The HeidelbergCement Norcem plant near Oslo will be the first to use the Carbon Capture Heat Recovery technology (CCWHR®) developed by MAN and Aker Carbon Capture from the summer of 2024 when it will capture 400,000 tons of CO2 annually, corresponding to 50% of its overall emissions. The gas will be compressed, liquefied and subsequently transported by Northern Lights by use of the new carriers to their onshore receiving terminal near Bergen in western Norway, from where a pipeline will lead to an underground storage location in the North Sea.
