MOL and KEPCO partner to design LCO2 carrier

Japanese shipping line Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has collaborated with electric power generation company Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) to conduct a feasibility study on the design of a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier at shipyards in Japan and overseas.

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The project follows a joint study by both companies launched last December, to evaluate “the optimal system for ocean transport and storage of liquefied CO2.” It was specifically focused on “CO2 emitted from KEPCO's thermal power plants to establish a CCS value chain,” MOL says.

Under the new agreement, the companies will study the “optimal ship size, transport costs, and necessary technologies for ocean transport” of LCO2. It will also evaluate “the feasibility of the design” of the LCO2 carrier.

The ship will be constructed by KEPCO with the intention of “realizing ocean transport of liquefied CO2,” MOL adds.

MOL believes that LCO2 carriers “will play a key role in the development of the CCS value chain.”

MOL has established several partnerships with key players to develop the carbon dioxide, capture and storage (CCS) value chain. Last month, MOL and petrochemical company Cosmo Oil collaborated to research and evaluate marine transportation for the development of a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) value chain.

In September, MOL partnered with Petronas and MISC to establish a joint venture for LCO2 carriers, and in August, MOL collaborated with three Japanese firms for a CCS project off the Kyushu coast.

By Tuhin Roy

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