"Northern Pioneer", the first of four state-of-the-art liquid CO? carriers for the Project Northern Lights, has successfully completed its first CO? loading operation.

The CO? was captured from Heidelberg Materials'cement plant in Brevik, marking the operational start of Europe's first open and commercial carbon transport and storage value chain.

Northern Lights, a joint venture between Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies, aims to safely transport and store industrial CO? emissions beneath the North Sea seabed, approximately 2,600 meters underground. The project is a cornerstone of Longship, the Norwegian government’s flagship CCS initiative, and is supported by the EU’s Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list.

Phase 1 capacity: 1.5 million tonnes of CO? per year
Phase 2 expansion: Increased to 5 million tonnes/year, with support from the CEF Energy fund
New 15-year agreement: Up to 900,000 tonnes/year of biogenic CO? from Stockholm Exergi

The entire CO? shipping fleet is being built in China's @Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC). Two vessels—"Northern Pioneer" and "Northern Pathfinder"—are now in operation. Two more 7,500 m3 vessels are under construction, with plans underway to expand the fleet with 10+ next-generation ships of over 12,000 m3 capacity.

With carbon shipping emerging as a critical link in the CCS value chain, Northern Lights is not only proving the concept but scaling it.


Source： Xinde Marine News Pang Kai