Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, and Nippon Gas Line (NGL) have jointly acquired Approval in Principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for a low-pressure type liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier to serve in coastal transportation.
According to MHI, demand for LCO2 carriers is expected to grow in tandem with CCS (carbon capture and storage) projects involving marine transport of CO2 captured in Japan to storage sites. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and NGL received AiP certification from ClassNK following a jointly conducted concept study on low-pressure type coastal LCO2 carriers, assuming their use for transport from small-scale CO2 capture sites mainly in the Seto Inland Sea area to remote storage sites. The concept study was conducted in conjunction with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) Japanese Advanced CCS Projects study. The LCO2 carrier receiving the newly acquired AiP is a versatile small-sized ship designed for use in domestic sea.
MHI Group is currently pursuing strategic measures to strengthen its business for the energy transition. In conjunction with this initiative, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is actively promoting the development of LCO2 carriers and the establishment of CCS value chains through collaboration with various domestic/overseas companies.
NGL is a participant in the CCS Engineering Design Work project in Sarawak, Malaysia, which involves the launch of a sea transport scheme using versatile small-sized LCO2 carriers to consolidate CO2 collected in Japan for overseas shipping. The project aims to enhance business efficiency through shipment scale expansion. The LCO2 carrier design under the AiP certification is expected to support this scheme.
Image: ClassNK AiP certificate (source: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding)
