The world’s first ship-to-ship liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO₂) transfer has successfully completed at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai.
The transfer on 19 June, part of an end-to-end solution that includes onboard carbon capture, liquefaction, storage and ship-to-ship offloading to a carbon utilisation facility, represents a key step in overcoming longstanding port infrastructure challenges and highlights China’s focus on decarbonisation.
“Many ports lack the infrastructure needed for large-scale carbon storage and ship-to-shore offloading,” explained Su Yi, general manager of Shanghai Qiyao Environmental Technology Co., which led the project.
“Yangshan Deep-Water Port’s facilities and operational flexibility made it the ideal location to demonstrate ship-to-ship LCO₂ transfer.
“This method eliminates the need for extensive terminal infrastructure, which often limits the deployment of onboard carbon capture systems.”
Su highlighted that ship-to-ship transfer at Yangshan significantly improves operational flexibility for vessels operating in terminals with limited infrastructure, allowing the offloaded LCO₂ to be shipped directly to storage and utilisation sites.
“This landmark trial at Yangshan represents a critical step in scaling carbon capture across shipping and related industries,” Su added. “The port’s forward-thinking support has helped us prove a viable solution that can be replicated worldwide.”
Shanghai aims to be a frontrunner in the bunkering, trading and certifying alternative marine fuels, with a goal of supplying at least 1m tonnes of green fuels by 2030, reports Lloyd’s List.
It ranks among the top ports in the world for LNG bunkering, handling around 422,000 tonnes of LNG in 2024.
Looking ahead, SMDERI-QET says it plans to collaborate with global partners to develop regulations and standards to accelerate marine carbon capture.
