Northern Lights, a joint venture company formed by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, has formally named its newest liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier.
Like earlier sister Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder was built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company of China. The newbuild has a length of 130 metres, a beam of 21 metres, a design draught of eight metres, and a total cargo capacity of 7,500 cubic metres.
The ship's two type C cargo tanks will transport LCO2 at –35 degrees Celsius and a maximum pressure of 19 bar(g).
The ship’s engines will run primarily on LNG with diesel serving as a backup fuel. Other emissions-reducing features will include wind-assisted propulsion and air lubrication to ensure compliance with EEDI Phase III requirements, though the engines’ current configuration can already generate significantly reduced SOx and NOx emissions.
Northern Pathfinder is registered to Norway and is managed and operated under bareboat charter by Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha. Construction was completed in compliance with DNV class rules.
Both Northern Pathfinder and Northern Pioneer will be used to transport LCO2 from a capture site somewhere in Norway to Northern Lights’ Øygarden receiving facility to be processed, injected into the seabed, and permanently stored 2,600 metres underground.