Stax Engineering, California-based maritime emissions capture and control company Stax Engineering, and Seabound, a UK-based onboard carbon capture company, have successfully demonstrated what is considered a first-of-its-kind fully integrated emissions and carbon capture solution at the Port of Long Beach.
The collaboration delivers an end-to-end solution that addresses both pollutants and GHG emissions, said to provide maritime operators with an immediate, practical path to meet tightening environmental regulations and decarbonisation requirements.
The two companies showcased their combined emissions-reduction technologies in action. Connected together onboard a Stax barge, the combined system serviced an at-berth ro-ro vessel from Wallenius Wilhelmsen (WWL), filtering out harmful pollutants including particulate matter (PM) and NOx, capturing CO2 directly from the vessel’s exhaust. California Air Resources Board (CARB) has set emissions regulations for ships to improve air quality in port communities, while the IMO is pushing for a 20% carbon emissions cut by 2030.
With few viable solutions available for emissions reductions in ports, Stax and Seabound are providing a cost-effective emissions solution for the maritime industry, without requiring vessels or ports to undergo retrofits and costly structural changes.
Stax CEO Mike Walker said: “Today marks a landmark moment in our journey toward a zero-emissions future, and it’s just the beginning. As we expand our carbon capture capabilities across the fleet, our inaugural partnership with Seabound has been instrumental. The growing demand from our customers reinforces our commitment to leading the maritime sector toward a more sustainable future.”
The combined system integrates Stax’s mobile emissions control unit—which removes 99% of PM and 95% of NOx—with Seabound’s compact carbon capture technology. Connecting directly to a vessel’s exhaust, Stax technology first removes criteria pollutants, turning the exhaust into purified gas. The gas is then directed through Seabound’s capture unit, isolating and storing up to 95% of carbon and 90% of sulphur before releasing the cleaned exhaust.
Alisha Fredriksson, co-founder and CEO, Seabound, said: “Our partnership demonstrates that effective, scalable emissions solutions are a reality that we can implement now. Our collaboration with Stax proves that by leveraging innovative onboard carbon capture, we can make a tangible difference on a global scale and provide the maritime industry with the tools vital for a sustainable future.”
Funded by CARB and South Coast AQMD, the trials began March 2025 and had three iterations. Each trial serviced an existing Stax customer, including WWL and NYK. All results were independently verified by Yorke Engineering, an environmental consultancy.
Mike Derby, SVP port, terminal and stevedoring operations, America, WWL, said: “Continuing to trial new technologies and applications—with innovative partners such as Stax and Seabound—is important as we move forward on our decarbonisation journey. Also, being able to assess potential new solutions up close, and utilised on one of our vessels, is particularly beneficial.”
Stax and Seabound are exploring scaling their combined solution internationally, including through a collaboration with Associated British Ports to capture at-berth emissions for the Port of Southampton, a busy UK port. To date, Stax says it has provided a critical pathway to CARB compliance in five major ports, captured more than 126t of pollutants, and will deploy its eighth barge in April 2025. Stax recently announced US$ 70m in funding to fuel fleetwide carbon capture integration and international expansion this year.
Founded in 2021, Seabound has established itself as an onboard carbon capture technology developer with its simple, modular, and cost-effective technology. Seabound recently completed a demonstration of its onboard carbon capture system together with Lomar Shipping and Hapag Lloyd, successfully capturing CO2 at ~80% efficiency onboard a 3200 TEU container vessel. Seabound aims to launch its first full-scale commercial carbon capture systems in 2025.
Image: Stax and Seabound carbon capture demonstration (source: Stax/Global Newswire)
