Hanwha Ocean’s onboard carbon capture system gets KR nod

South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean has received classification society Korean Register’s (KR) approval for its Onboard CO2 Capture System (OCCS).

PHOTO: Company representatives at deal signing ceremony at Komarine 2023 expo in Busan, South Korea. KR

Hanwha Ocean’s onboard carbon capture and storage technology uses absorbents to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) generated onboard and converts it into mineral form.

The system has a compact design and “consumes very little energy compared to other CO2 capture technologies, and the amount of additional CO2 generated during its operation is relatively small,” KR claims.

The approval was granted by KR after “reviewing classification rules and domestic and international regulations in collaboration with the Marshall Islands Registry,” a US-based ship registry company.

“Currently, the carbon capture and storage technology is expected to contribute a sizeable portion of the total global CO2 reduction, so market demand for this technology is growing,” KR's head of Plan Approval Center Yeon Kyujin says.

OCSS gaining momentum

The shipping industry is promoting carbon capture as a means to reduce the sector's carbon footprint and effectively meet global emissions requirements.

A recent report from DNV highlighted the onboard carbon capture and storage (OCSS) as an option "beyond fuels" to combat maritime emissions.

DNV underscored that OCSS would allow ships to use fossil-based fuels while significantly reducing emissions. This would ease the burden of producing green and blue fuels, like e-methanol or blue ammonia, to meet shipping demand.

Several shipping companies are exploring ways to integrate the technology onboard vessels.

This month, Greek tech firm ERMA FIRST’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) system concept received approval from classification society Lloyd's Register (LR).

Besides, London-based tech firm Carbon Clean and South Korea’s Samsung Engineering agreed to examine the possibility of installing Carbon Clean’s modular carbon capture system on vessels.

By Tuhin Roy

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