Petronas CCS leads push for new low-pressure LCO2 carriers

Petronas CCS Ventures, a subsidiary of Malaysian oil and gas firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), plans to develop liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO₂) carriers for the Asia-Pacific market.

IMAGE: Illustration of a liquefied carbon dioxide carrier. ENGINE via ChatGPT

Petronas CCS Ventures has partnered with Malaysian shipping firm MISC Berhad and Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to develop a 62,000-cbm LCO2 carrier, designed by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute.

The vessel has received DNV’s general approval, certifying it as a low-pressure, low-temperature LCO2 carrier design, the companies said.

The companies plan to build and deploy new LCO2 carriers for cross-border transportation of CO2 “beyond Malaysia and Japan” from multiple carbon capture and storage projects across the Asia-Pacific region.

They have not given a timeline for the project as of now. 

Lowering the price tag

Low-pressure technology plays a key role in reducing the costs related to CO2 transportation, according to DNV.

A low-pressure (7 bars and -49°C) CO2 tank requires less structural reinforcement than a medium-pressure (15 bars and -28°C) tank. Medium-pressure tanks used in LCO2 carriers usually have a thicker structure, which can reduce its load capacity, DNV explained.

As a result, low-pressure LCO2 transportation can allow “a larger ship tank diameter, flexibility in cargo hold arrangement, increased cargo capacities and presumably reduced transportation costs,” it noted.

By Konica Bhatt

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