Solvang: Cargo ship collects its own CO₂ emissions via onboard carbon capture and storage system

Norwegian shipping company Solvang has equipped its first ship with a CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) system, as reported by Solvang in a press release on Maritime Executive. The ship in question is the Clipper Eris, a 160-meter-long liquefied gas tanker constructed at a Hyundai shipyard in 2019. In doing so, Solvang aims to transport gas more sustainably on the seas by capturing the CO₂ as soon as it is emitted and storing it for further use. The CO₂ can then be recycled and reused on land.

This is a pilot program supported by the Norwegian government. Solvang's CEO Edvin Endresen stresses that onboard CCS can only be successful if the necessary global infrastructure is in place and is developed as quickly as possible. Solvang is thus calling for corresponding regulation by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is the counterpart to the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). Both organizations are agencies of the United Nations.

According to Solvang, the 70,000 cargo ships currently in use worldwide are largely driven by fossil fuels and are thus responsible for three percent of global CO₂ emissions alone. The CCS system on the Clipper Eris is not perfect, however, since it can only recapture 70% of carbon dioxide emissions. The rest, along with other exhaust gases, is released into the atmosphere. As part of the pilot program, Solvang is working with Wärtsilä, MAN Energy Solutions and Norwegian research institute SINTEF.