DSOC to build Northern Lights’ third liquid CO2 transport vessel

The third ship will be built at the DSOC shipyard in Dalian, China, where the first two ships are currently under construction. It will share the same characteristics as its sister ships and have a cargo capacity of 7,500 m3. According to Northern Lights, the three ships are the world’s largest dedicated CO2 ships, custom-built with pressurised cargo tanks for transportation of liquefied CO2.

Once operational, the ship will load captured and liquefied CO2 from industrial emitters and transport it to the Northern Lights receiving facilities in Øygarden, Norway. From here, the CO2 will be intermediately stored in onshore tanks before transported through a pipeline to an offshore reservoir for permanent and safe storage at 2,600 m depth under the seabed.

Northern Lights joint venture, owned by three OGCI members: Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies. It is developing a ship-based CO2 transport solution running on LNG fuel with a wind-assisted propulsion system and air lubrication.

The contract award was marked by a signing ceremony at the shipyard on August 30th, attended by Managing Director of Northern Lights, Børre Jacobsen.

Our shipping solution is scalable and provides the necessary flexibility to service industrial emitters across Europe. The award of a ship building contract for a third ship is a response to an increasing demand for cross-border CO2 transport and storage

… said Børre Jacobsen, Managing Director of Northern Lights

As one of the most competitive offshore yards and the first yard to construct the dedicated CO2 ships, we have confidence and capability to deliver high quality products to Northern Lights, and build long-term strategic relationships in the upcoming future.

… added Yingzhi Sun, Chairman of DSOC.

Facts about the ship 

• Capacity: 7,500 m3
• Two cylindrical cargo tanks
• Length: 130 meters
• Cargo transport conditions: Approx. 15 bar(g) pressure and -26°C temperature