Malaysia’s top shipping line, MISC, and South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have completed a conceptual design for a floating CO2 storage unit with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain within the maritime industry.
The floater, designed with a total storage capacity of 100,000 cu m and an injection capacity of 5 mtpa, has been approved in principle by the class society DNV, confirming the technical feasibility of the concept as well as initial conformity to the applicable rules, industry codes, and standards.
Called FCSU for short, the vessel is described as a “dynamic and versatile solution” that addresses a critical gap, particularly when CO2 emitters lack access to nearby sequestration sites, necessitating seamless shipping and storage of carbon dioxide.
The FCSU can be deployed across multiple depleted oil and gas fields offshore that have been earmarked as potential CO2 storage sites and introduces alternative approaches to carbon storage in comparison to the traditional pipeline method, the developers said.
It can serve as an intermediate CO2 storage unit or an injection vehicle for offshore CO2 reservoirs, but MISC and SHI are also exploring other potential applications, such as including a CO2 liquefaction facility.
The jointly developed concept is a culmination of the partnership, which took root following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in January this year.
As carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) continues to gain traction around the world, several players in Asia, with SHI among them, have moved to develop solutions to meet market demands. While shipyards in Japan and South Korea have been showcasing designs for liquefied CO2 carriers, MISC and SHI said they firmly believe that the FCSU concept will “redefine the CCS landscape, setting a new benchmark for sustainable advancements”.
“The FCSU is a result of our collective ambition to steer the maritime sector and other hard-to-abate sectors towards greener horizons,” stated Rajalingam Subramaniam, MISC’s president and Group CEO, adding: “The solution is there, and we invite the hard-to-decarbonise industries to collaborate and do just for society and planet Earth.”
