Dutch shipping company Royal Wagenborg and INEOS Energy held a naming and launching ceremony for Europe's first offshore CO2 carrier on Wednesday, May 14.
Given the ridiculous name of Carbon Destroyer 1, the vessel is specifically designed to transport liquefied CO2 from onshore capture sites to offshore storage in the Danish sector of the North Sea.
Once operational, the carrier will sail regular routes from Port Esbjerg to the Nini West platform, where the CO2 will be injected for storage to the Nini reservoir approximately 1,800 metres beneath the seabed.
Carbon Destroyer 1 utilises the same design as a that of a series of multi-purpose cargo ships also operated by Royal Wagenborg. Design work was provided by Conoship International while construction in ongoing at Royal Niestern Sander.
The carrier has a cargo capacity of approximately 5,000 tons of liquefied CO2 and was designed to meet the highest standards for safety, fuel efficiency, and low emissions. A DP2 system will ensure it can operate reliably and year-round under various offshore conditions.
"Carbon Destroyer 1 will transport captured CO2 from across Europe, creating a virtual pipeline between the point of capture and permanent storage deep beneath the sea bed of the North Sea," said Mads Weng Gade, CEO of INEOS Energy Europe.
"The delivery of the first dedicated offshore CO2 carrier is a prerequisite for commercial scale CCS across the continent."