As the first vessel constructed and engineered in Europe to meet the unique challenges of transporting liquefied CO2, the 150-metre Carbon Destroyer 1 is approaching completion in the north Netherlands.
Beyond the commercial significance of the contract in a European shipbuilding context, the vessel is set to play a critical role in laying the foundation for an integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain. The project could prove seminal in influencing the manner in which industrial emissions are managed across the EU.
Based on a 14,000dwt cargo vessel design concept that set a new benchmark in fuel efficiency and capital cost competitiveness when first introduced in 2017, the LCO2 tank-fitted Carbon Destroyer 1 will support the Greensand CCS initiative in the Danish sector of the North Sea.
As a further example of the EasyMax series ordered by Wagenborg Shipping from Royal Niestern Sander, the vessel has been specially adapted for handling CO2 under pressure and at low temperatures.
Transferred last autumn from the builder’s yard on the inland waterway network at Groningen to the outfitting location in Delfzijl harbour, the ship’s 15.9m beam meant that negotiation of the 16m-wide sea locks left only fractional clearance. In fact, the EasyMax generation is the largest type of vessel ever built on the landward side of the dykes in the Netherlands’ northern provinces.
Wagenborg’s investment in the EasyMax LCO2 carrier is underpinned by a long-term charter agreement with the UK-headquartered INEOS Group, a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and oil products. The ship will transport CO2 to the Greensand offshore storage site, whose licence holders are the Danish arm of INEOS Energy and the Danish firm Harbour Energy, together with the state-owned subsurface company Nordsoefonden.
CO2 captured at industrial plants and liquefied will be loaded into special tank containers and transferred to a dedicated terminal in the Danish North Sea port of Esbjerg offering interim storage facilities and a loading berth. Carbon Destroyer 1 will be mainly deployed out of the Esbjerg hub, shipping cargoes to the Greensand offshore reception point, from where the LCO2 will be sent through the underwater and subsoil infrastructure to the Nini Field reservoir 1,800m below the seabed for permanent storage. Return voyages are scheduled to be accomplished in about three days.
The CO2 brought to Esbjerg will initially come from Danish biogas plants, brought by trucks. The commissioning of the ship will precede the anticipated mid-2026 start of the commercial phase of Greensand, with a forecast storage volume of up to 400,000t per annum of captured biogenic CO2 from biomethane production.
The project envisages an eventual operation entailing storage of up to 4mt-8mt of biogenic or fossil CO2 per year in accordance with sourcing and supply expansion.
Safe storage
The ship’s two holds, which in the standard EasyMax format provide for the widest range of bulk commodities, forestry goods, and industrial products as well as indivisible items and project cargoes, have been modified to accommodate a total of six CO2 tanks, for a liquefied cargo of about 5,000t.
Manufactured by the Belgian company Geldof, and shipped direct to Delfzijl by inland vessel from the production site at Harelbeke on the Leie River, each 190t tank measures 28m in length and 6.5m in diameter. The fabrication process used by Geldof to ensure the structural integrity for safe, high-pressure containment and transport entails heat-treating at 570deg Celsius.
The latest EasyMax vessels are powered by a Wartsila L32 medium-speed engine yielding 2,999kW in six-cylinder format, driving a nozzled, controllable pitch propeller through a reduction gearbox. To meet the exigencies of offshore manoeuvring, the specification for the Carbon Destroyer 1 included retractable thrusters and DP2 dynamic-positioning.
Carbon Destroyer 1 is the fifth vessel in the EasyMax series. The unobstructed, maximised underdeck cargo volume (equating to 625,000-628,000ft3) has proved conducive to the development of the LCO2 carrier variant. A sixth ship is taking shape at Royal Niestern Sander, from whom Wagenborg last year booked a further six multi-purpose newbuilds, embodying the upgraded, fuel-flexible Version 2 design.
Featuring the forward mounting of bridge and accommodation, and certified for sailing in open-top mode, the EasyMax type is the product of technical collaboration between shipowner, shipbuilder and consultancy Conoship International of Groningen. With the 12-vessel tally, serial production has given an added edge to build cost competitiveness.
