Norwegian carbon capture and storage (CCS) company Northern Lights and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (‘K’ Line) have signed bare boat charter and time charter contracts for the management of the third Northern Lights liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier ship.
This follows the formerly signed contracts for managing the first two 7,500 m3 LCO2 ships in Northern Lights’ four ship fleet, that will be delivered in 2024.
‘K’ Line’s London-based subsidiary ‘K’ Line LNG Shipping (UK) will manage the three ships, facilitating the transportation of liquefied CO2 from Northern Lights customers based in Norway, Denmark, and Netherlands, to Northern Lights’ CO2 receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, from where the CO2 will be injected into the offshore reservoir for safe and permanent storage.
Børre Jacobsen, MD Northern Lights said: “We are pleased to expand our partnership with ‘K’ Line, a ship operator with extensive experience in liquefied gas transport and a strong safety and environmental track record. These ships will be shuttling between our customers in Northwest Europe and the Northern Lights’ onshore facilities, each transporting over 400,000t CO2 annually.”
In December 2022, “K” Line was awarded the ship management contracts of the two first Northern Lights ships, which are currently 75% completed and will be delivered later this year. ‘K’ Line LNG Shipping (UK) is working on an operation manual and commissioning protocol and cooperating with relevant parties such as terminal operators and port authorities. In parallel, a crew training programme is being implemented to ensure safe and reliable operation.
‘K’ Line President and CEO Yukikazu Myochin said: “We are delighted to successively undertake ship management for the third Northern Lights vessel. We have already set up a dedicated team for CO2 ship management in ‘K’ Line LNG Shipping (UK) in London for the first and second vessels and believe that the preparation for prior vessels will be further accumulated with the additional vessel in the fleet. Having the experience of building up the team and operational procedure, we are determined to contribute to the world’s first CCS project by Northern Lights.”
Northern Lights is developing a ship-based CO2 transport solution that enables flexible access to industrial emitters and carbon capture points across Europe. In December 2023, Northern Lights placed the order of a fourth CO2 ship, sister to those currently under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore (DSOC). With these four ships, Northern Lights will have the world’s largest dedicated CO2 shipping fleet.
Jacobsen concluded: “Our investment in these custom-built ships reflects our commitment to deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable CO2 transport services. The recent contracts to build and operate the third and fourth ships signify an increase in Northern Lights’ shipping capacity and reinforce our pioneering role in CO2 transport.”
Image: Northern Lights Liquefied CO2 vessel (Source: ‘K’ Line, credit: Northern Lights JV DA.)
