MHI will construct demonstration test ship for LCO₂ transport
Conceptual image of the LCO₂ demonstration test ship (Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)
Japan’s Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), will build a new type of demonstration test ship for liquefied carbon dioxide transport. Customer is Japan’s Sanyu Kisen Co, mainly involved in ship management in Japan and abroad.
The 72m-long and 12.5m-wide LCO2 carrier will have a draught of 4.55m and a capacity of 1,450m3. Delivery is scheduled for the second half of the fiscal year 2023.
Carbon dioxide is being captured and stored by many industries and there is a need for long-distance ocean transport to storage sites. The Engineering Advancement Association of Japan (ENAA) will charter the ship from Sanyu Kisen, the subcontractor, and operate it for the project purposes. Under consignment from ENAA, three additional project partners: shipping group “K” Line, Nippon Gas Line and Japan’s Ochanomizu University will accelerate research into carbon dioxide transport technology. It is aimed to contribute to cost reduction of technology and to enable safe, long-distance and large-scale transport of liquid carbon dioxide.
