Results

This report summarises the activities undertaken and the key findings from the broader port readiness exercise conducted under Work Package (WP) 2 Task 2.2 CO₂ shipping interoperability and port readiness. The findings and recommendations presented herein directly inform the Port Readiness Tool for CO₂ (PRT-CO₂). This report is intended as an accompaniment to be used in conjunction with the PRT-CO₂.

The findings highlight a number of key criteria and considerations relevant for the successful integration of OCC and CO₂ shipping within port communities. They indicate that while some hurdles remain before ports are able to play the vital dual role of facilitating the decarbonisation of the maritime sector via OCC and of the wider economy via larger CCUS networks, it is evident that progress is being made and that none of the remaining challenges is deemed insurmountable.

This Port Readiness Tool for Onboard Carbon Capture (OCC) and CO₂ Transport (PRT-CO₂) builds on the established Port Readiness Level for Marine Fuels assessment tool (PRL-MF) developed by the World Port Climate Action Program (WPCAP) in conjunction with the International Association of Ports and Harbors’ (IAPH) PRL working group. By mapping CO₂ handling requirements onto the existing structure of this recognised industry standard, the PRT-CO₂ aims to provide a familiar and practical framework for assessing port preparedness. This approach is designed to ensure that ports are equipped to address the distinct challenges posed by OCC and CO₂ transport by ship while aligning with industry expectations.

Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) and NexantECA (subcontractor to LANL) participated in the EverLoNG project from the U.S.A side to provide analytical support for quantifying the solvent degradation rates and develop an overall solvent management strategy as well as a CO₂ offloading strategy for the solvent-based SBCC system. We carried out detailed testing to quantify the monoethanolamine (MEA) concentration, CO₂ loading, and MEA degradation. We also developed the process design package and cost estimate for the Onshore Facility for the EverLoNG project, which includes CO₂ offloading and processing as well as spent solvent reclaiming infrastructure.

This deliverable concentrates on the definition of full chain CCUS cases that will be evaluated in EverLoNG. Definition contains ship types, port location, sailing route, the Ship Based Carbon Capture (SBCC), onshore facilities for CO2 handling and the transport of CO2 to either storage or utilization.
The defined cases will be evaluated by life cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic assessments (TEA) in WP4.

Currently, there are no guidelines on the logistics of CO₂ and solvent receival from the ship to the port and the loading of reclaimed or fresh solvent from the port to the ship. These challenges must be solved before a larger port network of CO₂ receival- and solvent reclaiming facilities can be organised

This report introduces several different offloading alternatives. It shows that the ports have options on how the CO₂ could be transported, depending on the ship type, volumes of CO₂, size, and number of ships with SBCC annually. The infrastructure for further transport of CO₂ needs to be identified and ready before the port can receive CO₂ from the ships.

The EverLoNG project covers multiple aspects of the marinization of CO₂ capture – from techno-economic to environmental and regulatory aspects. In this deliverable, the quality of captured CO₂ is discussed, in view of expected impurities and the most recent CO₂ specifications from transport and storage CCS projects.

Onboard Carbon Capture (OCC) was demonstrated in EverLoNG onboard 2 vessels. In both campaigns, the impurities content in the exhaust gases and from the OCC pilot were monitored. The most relevant observation made in the context of CO₂ quality is the relatively high NO_x content in the exhaust gas of marine engines. At the Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM), a large CO₂ capture pilot plant in Norway, the NO_x content in the raw CO₂ is measured at 0.5 ppmv, which is close to the Northern Lights and Aramis specifications (1.5 ppmv1). However, the reported NO₂ content in the flue gases of TCM is below 2.5 ppmv, whereas in the EverLoNG campaigns values in the 50-250 ppmv range were measured (data publicly shared in EverLoNG webinars2). This indicates that the NO_x content in OCC-produced CO₂ will potentially be higher than specifications.

There are different approaches to tackle this challenge. The first would be to (further) remove NOx from the exhaust gases, for instance by applying selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and/or removing NO2 in the quench column by applying a sulphite-thiosulphate solution (this could also be integrated in a SO_x scrubber). The proposed solutions would add to the treating costs onboard, but have the benefit of protecting the amine-based solvent from NO₂-induced oxidative degradation. Alternatively, and if the presence of relatively high NO₂ content in the liquid CO₂ wouldn’t affect the onboard storage tanks, the on-shore CO₂ receiving terminals could be equipped with NO_x separation technologies.

Future research should focus on: a) measuring the NO_x content in the raw and liquid CO₂ in OCC pilots; b) verifying whether the risks of a potentially high NO_x content is acceptable for the on-board storage tanks; c) evaluating and comparing different NO_x removal technologies, both from technical and economic aspects. In the EverLoNG campaigns as well as in related literature, it was identified that the NO₂ leads to increased rate of oxidative degradation of solvents. This implies increased rate of formation of degradation products. Therefore, monitoring the presence of other impurities, in particular NH₃ and aldehydes in the raw and liquified CO₂ should also be a focus point in future research.

This publication presents some of the findings from the third work package (WP3) of the research project EverLoNG, which aims to expedite the adoption of ship-based carbon capture technology on commercial vessels. The EverLoNG project is part of the Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT) program, which seeks to promote the emergence of CCUS through transnational funding, targeted research, and innovation. The EverLoNG project is supported by several organizations, including the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Germany), the Research Council of Norway, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (Netherlands), the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (UK), and the U.S. Department of Energy, all of whom have provided funding for this project.

There is growing interest in ship-based carbon capture (SBCC) as route to decarbonisation of global shipping fleets. This leads to the need for the development of an international CO₂ shipping network, and hence interoperability between regions.

The EverLoNG project aims to set up a CO₂ Shipping Interoperability Group (CSIG) to review and discuss the barriers and drivers to achieving this international interoperability. Three workshops will be run over the duration of the EverLoNG project, looking at the learning from the transport of other liquified gases, especially LNG and LPG, the role of international standards and regulation, and techno-economic requirements.

The projection of a roadmap for OCC must be closely linked to the general guidelines of CCS and CCU infrastructure projects. The emissions from land-based activities are much greater than those from the maritime sector, and the development of the extensive infrastructure needed for energy and the industrial sector is being developed on these sectors' terms. At the same time, the emissions from ship traffic are also significant and make up about 3-4% of the total (in the EU27), about the same as from air traffic. Forecasts also indicate that ship traffic will increase by 2050 and that the proportion of greenhouse gas emissions will increase to 10% if effective actions are not taken. All sectors must contribute if the climate targets are to be met. Development of the infrastructure for CCS has begun, and full-scale storage projects for CO₂ captured from industry are planned to be operational in 2025. There is still considerable uncertainty related to how quickly and how extensive the CCS infrastructure will be in the coming years. The outlined roadmap, therefore, describes the most important elements that must be considered and provides a tentative timeline for how OCC can be developed in parallel with the development of CCS and the reduction of emissions from the maritime sector in general towards 2035 and 2050.

This report summarises the dissemination activities conducted for Work Package (WP) 5 of the EverLoNG project.

The EverLoNG project set out to develop and demonstrate the SBCC technology. For this, they installed a demonstrator onboard the Seapeak Arwa LNG Carrier (chartered by TotalEnergies) and the SSCV Sleipnir. The demonstrator’s operational risks were assessed in a HAZOP workshop. Full-scale concept designs were further developed for a new build LNG Carrier and the SSCV Sleipnir based on the same technology and working principles and assessed in dedicated HAZID workshops.

The objective of Task 5.3 was to publish and disseminate the knowledge gained through these risk workshops amongst the wider maritime community, thereby accelerating the uptake of SBCC in a safe and certifiable manner.

This report has been prepared to meet the EverLoNG project deliverable D5.2.3, which involves identifying common safeguards from the risk assessments. It also contributes to fulfilling D5.3, which entails summarising the learnings from Work Package 5 and disseminating the insights gained to relevant international regulatory bodies. The report builds upon previous deliverables and activities in WP5.

The main safety hazards associated with an SBCC installation pertain to loss of containment in the chemical systems used during the CO₂ capturing process and the hazards linked to loss of containment in systems employed for processing, storing, and off-loading captured CO₂.

The report addresses preventive and mitigating safety barriers that should be considered to reduce the frequency and consequences of hazardous events related to SBCC installations. The evaluation is based on a comprehensive assessment of hazardous events identified through multiple HAZIDs
conducted in the EverLoNG project, which must be mitigated to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.

This report has been prepared to meet the requirements of EverLoNG project deliverables D5.1.1 and D5.1.3 and consists of three main sections: Identify applicable safety and environmental standards and codes / Major hazard of CO₂ loss of containment / Assessment of technology novelty.