Northern Lights – a joint venture between energy giants Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies – placed its initial two-vessel order in 2021 for two dedicated liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers.
The order formed part of the first phase of Northern Lights’ CO2 transport and storage infrastructure development in the North Sea, and the vessels were scheduled for delivery in mid-2024.
"Our two first ships have officially been launched and successfully transferred from the drydock to the harbour," the Northern Lights JV posted on LinkedIn. "Thank you to everyone involved. We look forward to welcoming the ships to Norway later this year."
Both 130-m sister vessels will have a cargo capacity of 7,500 m3. Built specifically to carry LCO2, the vessels have purpose-built pressurised cargo tanks and will be fuelled by LNG. The vessels will also feature a wind-assisted propulsion system and air lubrication with a target to reduce carbon intensity by around 34% compared with conventional systems.
The ships will be registered in Norway, classed by DNV and operated by Northern Lights under the Norwegian flag.
Once in operation, the ships will load captured and liquefied CO2 from European emitters and transport it to the Northern Lights receiving terminal in Øygarden, western Norway.
The CO2 volumes will be measured and reported throughout the value chain. Measurements will be independently verified and the necessary documentation provided to regulators and government officials.
In recent days, the Northern Lights JV has also said that it has completed what it called "the final major milestone for the construction of the Northern Lights CO2 receiving facilities".
"Last week we pulled in the pipeline, which will connect the onshore facilities to the offshore storage infrastructure in the North Sea," the JV said, noting that the operaiton was a success.
source: riviera.com