Landmark liquefied carbon dioxide vessel gets ready for work

Trials have been completed and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co is now delivering a landmark liquefied CO2 carrier called Northern Pioneer to its joint venture owners, Northern Lights. 

The purple-hulled vessel, sporting a rotor sail, is the first is a series of four 7,500 cu m liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers ordered at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) by Northern Lights, a joint venture between Shell, TotalEnergies and Equinor 

The vessel will work in the world’s first full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain project and will be managed by K Line LNG Shipping (UK) based in London, a subsidiary of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line). It will transport liquefied CO2 from a CO2 capture facility in Norway to Northern Lights’ receiving terminal in Øygarden, western Norway.

K Line and Northern Lights have entered into bareboat charter contracts and time charter contracts for three of the four vessels ordered by Northern Lights, including the vessel.

“This is a great moment for Northern Lights and the CCS industry. Today we celebrate that the full transport and storage chain of Northern Lights CO2 is ready. Northern Pioneer and her sister ships will enable flexible and scalable CO2 transport across Europe.” said Tim Heijn, managing director of Northern Lights.