Aker BP and Höegh Evi have received Approval in Principle (AiP) from classification society DNV for a next-generation liquefied CO₂ carrier with a capacity of 50,000 cubic meters. The innovative vessel—jointly developed by Höegh Evi, Aker BP, and Moss Maritime in Norway—is designed to transport captured carbon dioxide from industrial emitters across Europe to offshore carbon sequestration sites on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).
The CO₂ will be delivered to two dedicated storage locations: EXL 005 Poseidon and EXL 011 Atlas. These sites, managed by Aker BP, underwent independent third-party technical peer review in 2023. Initially, they are expected to handle up to 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, with potential for capacity expansion based on future market demand.
Poseidon is slated to begin operations by 2030, while no definitive timeline has yet been confirmed for Atlas.
The carrier marks a milestone as the first vessel to be assessed under DNV’s newly introduced CO₂ RECOND class notation. This classification was developed to address the unique requirements of CO₂ transport, handling, and conditioning.
By integrating CO₂ conditioning and offloading systems directly onboard the shuttle carrier, the design minimizes operational complexity, mitigates the risk of impurity co-mingling, and ensures consistent and reliable injection into subsea geological formations.
According to Höegh Evi, this next-generation ship represents a major step forward in enabling scalable carbon capture and storage (CCS) logistics—an essential pillar in Europe’s decarbonization strategy.