Stena Impero trial demonstrates onboard carbon capture feasibility

Stena worked on the project in collaboration with the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and consortium partners American Bureau of Shipping, Alfa Laval, Deltamarin, Lloyd’s Register, Seatrium, and Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO).

In a statement, OGCI’s head of Transport Workstream Dr Michael Traver acknowledged the trial as a “milestone” in assessing the role of carbon capture in maritime decarbonisation.

However, Mr Traver noted that OCCS implementation is challenged by high initial costs and limited port infrastructure for offloading captured CO2.

The project underscores the industry-wide need for port policies and storage solutions to manage captured emissions.

GCMD CEO Professor Lynn Loo noted that practical deployment of OCCS relies on developing a complete offloading infrastructure, citing GCMD’s prior work on establishing an operational framework for carbon offloading.

Professor Loo further explained that optimising CO2 capture rates while managing costs remains a balancing act in carbon capture technology.

Moving forward, the study indicates potential cost reductions through economies of scale and integrating OCCS in newbuild designs.

While no major technical barriers were identified, industry-wide collaboration is necessary to develop infrastructure and manage long-term costs effectively.

On the regulatory front, the industry awaits guidance from IMO’s Correspondence Group tasked with developing a framework for OCCS in MEPC 83.

In a past incident, Stena Impero drew international attention in July 2019 when the vessel was seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz.

Although Iranian authorities claimed it was for security inspection, the UK saw it as retaliatory action for Gibraltar’s detention of the Iranian tanker Grace 1. Following the seizure, Stena Bulk reported no evidence of any violation by the vessel, which was navigating outside Iranian waters at the time.

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