The EU Emissions Trading System has recognised CO₂ captured aboard Evergreen Marine’s 14,000-TEU containership Ever Top under Project CAPTURED, allowing the verified eligible volume to be deducted from emissions for which EU Allowances must be surrendered, according to GCMD.
The decision applies existing EU rules on permanent chemical binding rather than creating a new route for geological storage. The CO₂ was converted through carbon mineralisation into stable carbonates for use in construction materials.
GCMD announced the decision on 22 July. “The acceptance of the EU ETS deduction gives captured CO₂ a compliance value,” chief executive Professor Lynn Loo said.
The International Maritime Organization also gave in-principle support to recognising carbon mineralisation as permanent CO₂ storage at MEPC 84 in London from 27 April to 1 May. Submissions MEPC 84/7/18 and MEPC 84/INF.8 were prepared by China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s 711th Research Institute, 11th Research Institute and other Chinese participants.
Project CAPTURED completed its main demonstration in China on 25 June 2025. Shanghai Qiyao Environmental Technology, also known as SMDERI-QET, transferred 25.44 tonnes of liquefied CO₂ from Ever Top to Zhoushan Dejin Shipping’s Dejin 26. It then moved by road to Baorong Environmental, where steel slag was used to produce precipitated calcium carbonate and post-carbonated slag.
GCMD said 15.84 tonnes reached the end user. CO₂ purity remained above 99.95% by volume at each custody-transfer point, with no safety incidents. Procedures were adapted from LNG and LPG transfer practices.
A DNV-verified life-cycle assessment found a 7.9% net greenhouse-gas reduction across the chain at an onboard gross capture rate of 10.7%. GCMD estimated this could rise to 17.8% by removing first-project inefficiencies, including long-distance road transport and the lack of waste-heat recovery.
The project involved 11 maritime and industrial partners, including SMDERI-QET, Evergreen Marine, Zhoushan Dejin Shipping and Greenore/Baorong.
SMDERI-QET general manager Dr Su Yi said the IMO decision offered “a feasible blueprint for future emissions reductions in the shipping industry”.
GCMD is a Singapore-based non-profit organisation launched on 1 August 2021 to develop and test maritime decarbonisation technologies; its network exceeds 130 centre-level and project partners.