On March 4, Northern Lights of Norway held a signing ceremony at its CO2 receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, for the charter agreement and shipbuilding contract for a recently awarded 12,000 cubic meter LCO2 carrier project. Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“k” line) of Japan and MISC Berhad of Malaysia, as the shipowners for this project, and Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. (DSOC), as the builder, were invited to attend the ceremony.
At the ceremony, Northern Lights arranged for all parties involved in the project to tour the Northern Pathfinder, the second of DSOC’s 7,500 cubic meter LCO2 carriers, and highly praised DSOC’s high-quality shipbuilding capabilities. During the event, the parties engaged in in-depth exchanges, deepening their shared understanding of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) as a key solution for achieving global climate change goals. They pledged to strengthen cooperation to provide safe and reliable liquefied carbon dioxide transportation and storage services, contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality goals in Europe and globally.
According to reports, on January 29, 2026, Northern Lights announced via its official website the signing of charter agreements for four new LCO2 carriers. The four vessels will be owned by “k” line, MISC Berhad, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), with construction handled by DSOC and Hyundai Heavy Industries. Delivery is scheduled between the second half of 2028 and the first half of 2029, at which time they will formally commence charter services for the Northern Lights project. The cargo capacity of the first three vessels will each be 12,000 cubic meters.
According to official announcements from MOL and “k” line on January 30, MOL’s two 12,000 cubic meter LCO2 carriers will be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. The two parties signed a shipbuilding contract on January 29. The new vessels will use an LNG dual-fuel propulsion system and are expected to be delivered around 2028. “k” line’s first 12,000 cubic meter LCO2 carrier with MISC Berhad will be built by DSOC. The second ship (specifications not yet announced) will be ordered in April 2026 based on the charter agreement grant date.