Japanese ammonia and LCO2 carrier design gets ClassNK nod

An ammonia and liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier design developed by Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and shipping company NYK Line has been approved by classification society ClassNK.

PHOTO: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and NYK Line’s ammonia and LCO2 carrier concept. NYK Line

The companies intend to transport both ammonia and LCO2 on the same carrier safely and economically. The planned vessel will be able to transport ammonia to thermal power plants and then carry CO2 emitted from thermal power plants to storage sites on the return route, NYK Line says.

Mitsubishi and NYK Line have not specified other outlets, but a vessel like this could also for example carry clean ammonia from a production site to a bunker port, and then bring CO2 captured or temporarily stored in that bunker port to a more permanent storage site after the clean ammonia has been delivered.

“LCO2 carriers play an important role as one of the means of efficiently transporting captured and liquefied CO2 to storage sites” in the CCUS (Carbon dioxide Capture, Utilisation and Storage) value chain, NYK Line adds.

Meanwhile, green ammonia has been gaining attention globally as a potential clean energy source that can be scaled to meet future shipping demand. This underscores the need for vessels that can carry specialised ammonia cargoes to meet growing demand from the marine industry and other sectors.

By Tuhin Roy

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