From ship to shore: engineering, regulatory and safety gaps cloud CO2 shipping timeline

“We do not need to start from zero but we do need to act now,” said Bureau Veritas global market leader gas carriers Carlos Guerrero, addressing the growing technical and operational urgency surrounding liquefied CO2 transport. His remarks underscored a widespread concern across the industry: the absence of standardised ship-shore interface protocols could delay the first wave of commercial operations.

Although vessel designs are progressing, inconsistencies in cargo transfer systems, manifold configurations and custody transfer protocols risk introducing late-stage obstacles. Mr Guerrero explained efforts are underway to adapt LNG standards, such as ISO 28460, for use with CO2. However, this work remains incomplete. “We are seeing different projects moving forward,” he said. “But if there is no alignment, it could cause operational delays.”

He cautioned fragmented design approaches may result in costly reworks and limit early interoperability between terminals and ships.

These concerns were raised during a panel discussion held in London as part of Riviera’s CO2 Shipping & Terminals Conference, which took place at the Hilton Waldorf Hotel on 19 June 2025.

From a design standpoint, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering senior vice president Byeongyong Yoo presented the company’s 22,000-m³ low-pressure liquefied CO2 carrier. Dr Yoo confirmed the vessel is ready for commercialisation, with classification approval and detailed engineering complete. “The ship is fully developed from our side,” he said. “But the next step depends on terminal readiness. Interface standards will be essential to avoid problems.”

Lloyd’s Register, global gas markets and technology lead, Constantinos Chaelis presented along with HD KSOE the latest technological developments of 22,000 m3 LCO2 design and how low-pressure LCO2 carriers could unlock the potential. 

Mr Chaelis referred to the world’s largest LCO2 carriers & first multi-gas carriers currently under construction in Mipo for Capital Clean Energy Carriers as the work-horse of maritime LCO2 supply and highlighted design attributes enabling commercial trading flexibility, efficiency, safety, enhanced cargo capacity and scalability to the growing carbon value chain. He concluded that infrastructure, including ports, will need to develop in line with trades flexible to market requirements.

DNV principal engineer Gabriele Notaro highlighted the influence of CO2 composition on the technical specification of the entire logistics chain. “The CO2 itself determines the transport mode and system design,” he said. Variations in impurities and thermodynamic properties can alter containment requirements, pressure regimes and equipment durability. “The challenge,” he added, “is how to design for variability while still allowing for repeatability and safety.”

Speakers agreed while lessons can be drawn from the LNG industry, direct replication is not appropriate. “CO2 is not LNG,” said Mr Notaro. “It behaves differently, and it will require dedicated solutions.”

The discussion concluded with a shared view that early collaboration across shipbuilders, classification societies, terminal developers and technology providers is vital to avoid costly misalignment. As Mr Guerrero reiterated in closing, “We are not starting from zero. We have a foundation. But we need to act now to ensure the interfaces align.”