On the morning of June 19, the barge “Dejin” docked at the Shengdong Terminal of Yangshan Deepwater Port and connected to the Panamanian-flagged container ship “EVER TOP,” successfully completing the world’s first ship-to-ship transfer operation for the collection and recovery of liquid carbon dioxide (LCO₂).
As the world’s first container ship equipped with a carbon capture system, the “EVER TOP” completed the world’s first full-process ship-to-shore unloading of carbon dioxide captured by ships at Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port last year.
This innovative practice of “ship-to-ship” recycling operation marks that China has taken the lead in building a complete ecological closed loop of “carbon dioxide capture-liquefaction storage—ship-to-ship unloading and reuse”, providing a replicable “Chinese solution” for international shipping emission reduction.
According to statistics from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the shipping industry emits approximately 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, accounting for about 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Against the backdrop of increasingly severe global climate change challenges, the shipping industry, as one of the major sources of global carbon emissions, has seen its decarbonization efforts become increasingly intertwined with sustainable development. The application of carbon capture technology on ships has opened up new avenues for the shipping industry’s decarbonization efforts, making it an important means for China to fulfill its commitments to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
It is reported that compared with the traditional ship-to-shore connection mode, ship-to-ship transfer technology has significantly improved operational flexibility, making flexible operations at sea and rapid response to the carbon transshipment needs of ships in different sea areas a reality. It provides innovative solutions to the current situation where global port infrastructure is not yet perfect, and also removes key obstacles for the large-scale application of carbon capture technology in the shipping industry.