Eastern Pacific Shipping and Value Maritime have teamed up to install the first carbon capture solution aboard two tankers. The shipping company is upgrading two tankers with carbon capture systems, making them the largest ocean-going ships equipped with carbon capture technology to date.
Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has signed a definitive agreement with Rotterdam-based Value Maritime (VM) to install carbon capture and filtration systems on the MR M/T Pacific Cobalt and M/T Pacific Gold tankers, with the possibility of equipping three more vessels. The installation of the first system is scheduled to be completed during 2022, and engineering and planning work is currently underway.
Built in 2020, the 49,700 dwt sister ships will be equipped with Value Maritime’s Filtree system, a prefabricated gas scrubbing system that filters sulfur and 99% particulate matter. The system will include a carbon capture module that charges the carbon dioxide battery on board. The battery will then be discharged at the port and subsequently used by CO2 consumers such as greenhouses or pumped into carbon sequestration networks. The discharged battery is returned to the ship to be recharged with carbon dioxide. This plug and play approach allows ships to capture up to 40% of CO2 emissions today and could exceed 90% in the future.
Eastern Pacific Shipping CEO Cyril Ducos said: “The partnership with Value Maritime is a big step forward for EPS and the industry’s energy transition. Carbon capture technology was missing from our existing portfolio of abatement solutions, which today consists primarily of alternative marine fuels. We believe that carbon capture technology holds great promise for reducing emissions for existing and future ocean-going ships. Combined with alternative fuels, biofuels and other solutions, carbon capture is a critical step in accelerating the shipping industry’s decarbonization efforts towards achieving IMO goals. After extensive research, we have concluded that Value Maritime is the right partner to implement this solution and complement our own decarbonization efforts. Their commitment to innovation, existing infrastructure and commitment to reducing emissions today is what we are looking for in a partner. By equipping our tankers with VM systems, we hope to prove to the industry that carbon capture is a viable and scalable option available now.”
In addition to being able to capture carbon, the Filtree system also removes residual oil and solids from the wash water, neutralizing its PH and helping to reduce seawater acidification.
The onboard installation of the M/T Pacific Cobalt should be completed by the end of 2022 and the onboard installation of the M/T Pacific Gold should be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
In addition to modernization, EPS and VM are exploring future collaborations such as installing the Filtree system aboard new EPS ships, including a new generation of container ships.
“Bringing our filtration and carbon capture technology to the tanker market has been our goal from the beginning. Bringing this vision to fruition with visionary partners like Eastern Pacific Shipping is our dream come true. Together we are making sustainable shipping and reducing emissions in this segment no longer a pipe dream. This is happening today and we can be proud to see it happening with EPS,” said Maarten Lodeviks, co-founder and director of Value Maritime.
