Onboard carbon capture (OCC) is gaining interest as a way for ships to reduce emissions while using conventional fuels. However, questions remain about the process and utilization of captured carbon.

A new DNV white paper emphasizes the importance of collaboration among regulators, policy makers, industry stakeholders, class, and suppliers for successful commercial adoption of OCC.

The white paper, titled “The potential of onboard carbon capture in shipping,” examines OCC as a decarbonization solution in shipping, addressing technical, economic, operational, and regulatory challenges, as well as its integration into the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) value chain.

CCUS involves capturing CO2 for future use or storage underground. The maritime industry is exploring OCC onboard ships, necessitating a system to capture, process, and store CO2, along with a network for offloading integrated into the CCUS infrastructure.

Chara Georgopoulou, DNV’s head of maritime R&D and advisory in Greece, highlights OCC as a potential decarbonization tool for shipping, pending further collaboration and testing to verify its performance and integration into the CCUS value chain.

OCC’s economic viability and competitiveness with other decarbonization methods are crucial for its wider application. If successful, OCC can assist shipowners in meeting decarbonization regulations and reducing the reliance on alternative fuels.

The EU ETS currently offers incentives for OCC adoption, but future environmental and GHG emissions regulations need to credit captured CO2 to encourage shipowners to invest in the technology.

Georgopoulou stresses the importance of exploring OCC and other technologies to achieve IMO decarbonization targets and accelerate shipping’s decarbonization journey.

• Download the DNV white paper HERE