Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, and Nippon Gas Line Co., Ltd. (NGL) announced on February 5, 2025, that they have jointly received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for a low-pressure type liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier designed for coastal transport.
The AiP was granted following a joint concept study conducted by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and NGL, in conjunction with the FY2024 "Japanese Advanced CCS Projects" managed by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC).
The study focused on a small-scale, versatile LCO2 carrier intended for domestic use, specifically transport from smaller CO2 capture sites, primarily in the Seto Inland Sea area, to base sites for overseas or domestic storage.
"Demand for LCO2 carriers is expected to grow in tandem with CCS (carbon dioxide capture and storage) projects involving marine transport of CO2 captured in Japan to storage sites," the companies stated.
NGL is participating in the "CCS Engineering Design Work in Sarawak, Malaysia" project, also part of the FY2024 Japanese Advanced CCS Projects. This project aims to establish a sea transport system using small LCO2 carriers to consolidate CO2 collected in Japan for overseas shipment, seeking to improve efficiency through increased shipment scale, according to the project description.
The newly approved LCO2 carrier is expected to play a key role in this transport scheme. The AiP signifies that ClassNK has reviewed the basic design and confirmed it meets technical requirements and safety criteria, complying with the IGC Code and ClassNK classification rules for vessels carrying liquefied gas in bulk.