CO2 shipping and its huge potential

An invigorating day full of valuable insights and connections is how one delegate summarised this year’s CO2 Shipping & Terminals Conference in London. 

In the 12 months since the last event there has been significant progress: ideas are becoming realities, and shipping and terminal projects and implementations are taking shape worldwide.

This reality was reflected by the need to move this year’s conference to the Hilton Waldorf Hotel to accommodate the 200 plus global attendees spanning the worlds of emitter, energy company, regulator, charterer, port, owner/operator, class society, registry, legal, financial, brokerage, engineering consultancy, supplier and industry association.

Discussions made it clear that the CO2 business is real, happening, and gaining serious momentum. Some key points and observations include Northern Lights progressing at pace, Northwest Europe being the centre of CO2 shipping and storage and the UK’s moving forward on its vision to be a big player in this industry. 

Other takeaways include the key role of CO2 shipping in optimising pipeline projects, the importance of low emissions for CO2 ships, and the potential for floating infrastructure to speed up execution and improve flexibility. 

Delegates were updated on regulatory and business model progress. Some key data points included seven EU cross-border agreements signed in the last two years, the need for about 55 CO2 tankers by 2030, and carbon capture and storage expected to account for 8% of global emission reductions by 2050.

Summarising the day another delegate said: "The current outlook for CO2 shipping is exciting, vast and challenging. We need alignment and collaboration among all stakeholders to make this a reality and this conference has again proven it is an essential meeting point for making this happen."

Riviera’s CO2 Shipping & Terminals Conference returns to London in June 2025. For more information email: edwin.lampert@rivieramm.com