Centrifugal CO2 capture system trialled on board Scorpio tanker

Carbon Ridge and Scorpio Tankers Inc installed a centrifugal onboard carbon capture and storage (COCCS) system aboard LR2 product tanker STI Spiga as part of a fullscale pilot during the vessel’s scheduled drydocking at Besiktas Shipyard in Turkey in July 2025.

The Carbon Ridge system liquefies and stores CO2 using a proprietary centrifugal separation method.

The manufacturer reports a 75% equipment footprint reduction compared with conventional solutions, and the system has received Design Basis Approval from classification society DNV.

The system is modular and designed for retrofit or newbuilds, allowing CO2 to be compressed and liquefied on board with estimated capture rates above 90%, while also removing over 99% of particulate matter, NOx and SOx.

Unlike some other projects, the design has been developed specifically for maritime use rather than repurposed from land-based carbon capture technologies, according to the manufacturer.

Scorpio Tankers chief operating officer Cameron Mackey described Carbon Ridge as having “the requisite understanding of our industry to develop and implement practical solutions”.

Carbon Ridge chief executive officer Chase Dwyer stated the system is “the first carbon capture system designed specifically for maritime applications”.

While the Carbon Ridge COCCS may have been designed specifically for seagoing application, several other onboard carbon capture technologies have already been tested at sea, using different technological principles. These precedents range from solvent- and membrane-based systems to variations of modular carbon scrubbers and chemical absorption units.

The Carbon Ridge system therefore represents a novel entry, but not the first installation of an OCCS aboard a vessel.