Northern Lights JV announces that the Northern Pioneer, the first in a fleet of four CO2 transport ships, is ready for delivery at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC) in Dalian, China. It is part of the largest dedicated CO2 shipping fleet globally.
Northern Lights is the first company to offer commercial CO2 transport and storage as a service. The CO2 receiving facility in Øygarden, Norway, was completed in September and is now ready to receive CO2 from Norwegian and European industries.
Shipping is an integral part of the Northern Lights value chain, and the Northern Pioneer is the first of its kind, custom designed to safely transport liquefied CO2 from capture sites in Europe to the Northern Lights receiving terminal.
“This is a great moment for Northern Lights and the CCS industry. Today we celebrate that the full CO2 transport and storage chain of Northern Lights is ready. Northern Pioneer and her sister ships will enable flexible and scalable CO2 transport across Europe”, said Tim Heijn.
Northern Pioneer and her sister ship, the Northern Pathfinder, currently under construction are built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC), one of the leading shipbuilding groups in China. The yard was awarded the shipbuilding contract in 2021 after an extensive global tendering process. Two additional ships are being built by Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co., Ltd (DSOC).
“We take great pride in designing and constructing the world’s first ship for commercial CO2 transport. The delivery of this ship will establish DSIC as a pioneer in CO2 transportation solutions, and we remain committed to collaborating with Northern Lights to realize their CCS objectives”, said Lin Jiming, Vice President of DSIC.
The ship will be registered in Norway and managed by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE).
“We are delighted to have reached a significant milestone for the Northern Lights value chain making the first step in our journey. With our extensive knowledge and experience in the operation of various liquefied gas carriers, the “K” LINE Group is determined to work together to contribute to Europe’s decarbonization through safe and reliable liquefied CO2 transportation,” said Yukikazu Myochin, President and CEO of “K” LINE.
Facts about the Northern Pioneer
- Cargo size: 7,500 m3
- Length: 130 m
- Width: 21 m
- Cargo transport conditions: maximum 19 bar(g) pressure and minimum -35°C temperature
- Primary fuel: LNG
- Low-carbon technologies: Wind-assisted rotor sail and air lubrication
