Bernhard Schulte, the ship owning arm of the Schulte Group, is soon to take delivery of its first liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO₂) carrier, ‘Northern Purpose’, which has been christened at Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore (DSOC) in China.
The ship has been custom-designed to transport liquefied CO₂ as part of the Northern Lights project. Following delivery, the vessel will enter a long-term time charter and support the safe and efficient transport of captured CO₂ from industrial customers in Northwest Europe to Norway for permanent geological storage.
Johann Schulte, Bernhard Schulte CCO, said: “Our new LCO₂ carrier marks the exciting expansion of Bernhard Schulte’s fleet portfolio into this innovative tanker segment. We are delighted to be part of Northern Lights’ industry-leading project to provide CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure. The close collaboration with DSOC as selected shipbuilding partner underscores our long-standing relationships with Chinese shipyards.”
Tim Heijn, MD Northern Lights, added: “We welcome the Northern Purpose into the world’s first fleet of dedicated CO₂ carriers. The delivery of the Northern Purpose marks an important milestone in scaling the transportation capacity needed to support Europe’s decarbonisation. We are looking forward to working with Bernhard Schulte to deliver safe, efficient and reliable operations for many years to come.”
Sun Yingzhi, Chairman, DSOC, said: “The construction of this vessel marks another milestone for Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co in the LCO₂ carrier construction domain, standing as a testament to the successful cooperation between DSOC and Bernhard Schulte. We are honoured to bolster Bernhard Schulte’s fleet with this cutting-edge vessel. DSOC remains committed to continue partnerships with Bernhard Schulte and Northern Lights, as we join forces to advance the global green clean energy sector and drive the high-quality development of the international shipping industry.”
The 130m long newbuilding is the first vessel of this type for the Bernhard Schulte fleet and the fourth LCO2 carrier for Northern Lights. All four ships are sister vessels with the same design and have a cargo capacity of 7,500m³ each, distributed across two cylindrical pressure tanks. They are engineered to safely handle CO₂ at low temperatures and medium pressure, ensuring operational reliability across the entire transport chain. The four ships are the first of their kind to safely transport CO₂ from European emitters to Northern Lights’ CO₂ receiving terminal at Øygarden, before it is permanently stored beneath the Norwegian continental shelf.
Northern Purpose features technologies aimed at reducing its operational carbon footprint. The vessel is equipped with an LNG dual-fuel propulsion system. Combined with other proven technologies, in particular a wind-assisted rotor sail and an air lubrication system, this results in significantly lower CO₂ emissions.
The vessel is managed by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), also part of the Schulte Group. The Northern Purpose represents BSM’s entry into the management of liquefied CO₂ carriers, adding a new vessel type to its global fleet of more than 670 managed vessels.
Image: The ‘Northern Purpose’ is equipped with an LNG dual-fuel propulsion system, a wind-assisted rotor sail and an air lubrication system (source: Schulte Group)
