Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company based in Yokohama, has launched a demonstration test ship for transport of liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2), to be utilised in conjunction with initiatives by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for its carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects.
The Engineering Advancement Association of Japan (ENAA), one of the consignees for the NEDO demonstration projects, will charter the ship from Sanyu Kisen, and install and operate the LCO2 marine tank system used to conduct research and development. Three additional project partners, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (‘K’ Line), Nippon Gas Line, and Ochanomizu University, will be commissioned by ENAA to conduct R&D on the pressure control and stability of the LCO2 transported on the ship, and plan demonstration experiments, as well as develop and demonstrate technologies for safe and low-cost CO2 transport.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is in charge of all aspects from the ship design through construction, including the cargo containment system, applying its gas handling technologies and expertise cultivated through the construction of liquefied gas carriers (both LPG and LNG types). Following outfitting and sea trials, the ship is scheduled to be handed over in the latter half of 2023.
According to MHI, CCUS is gaining attention as an effective means of achieving a carbon-neutral society. Because the sources of CO2 emissions are often located distant from the sites selected for carbon utilisation or storage, demand is expected to increase for LCO2 carriers able to transport such cargo safely and economically. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will draw on its experience constructing this vessel to bolster its business for MHI Group’s energy transition strategy, and will develop the various technologies for LCO2 vessels necessary to establish a CCUS value chain.
