Recently, Nanjing Iron & Steel, Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI), DNV Classification Society (DNV) and Watts Energy & Engineering (WE) jointly researched and developed a new type of steel for ultra-large Liquid Carbon Dioxide (LCO₂) carriers, which has successfully obtained the certification of DNV and has been awarded with the product recognition certificate.
As the pace of global decarbonization accelerates, the demand for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in the maritime industry continues to grow. Norwegian consulting firm Rystad Energy said it expects that ≥55 large LCO₂ carriers will be needed to service CCUS projects by 2030 to meet the upcoming capacity demand from projects such as offshore storage, and that the market for LCO₂ carriers is promising.
The world’s first 7,500m3 LCO₂ cargo tanks built by WE for Dalian Shipbuilding Industry have been successfully delivered for two ship sets, and the third and fourth ship sets of liquid tanks are in orderly production.
In May 2023, Nanjing Iron & Steel signed a joint development program (JDP) with DNV, WE and SDARI to carry out the research and development of of cryogenic steel for LCO₂ carriers. By cooperation of all parties, the product development was successfully completed within one year, and the stability of the steel in low-temperature environment was verified under the strict certification of DNV, which is fully applicable to the construction of tanks for ultra-large low-temperature and low-pressure LCO₂ carriers, and the performance of the product reaches the international leading level.
Based on this new material, the 12,000m³ LCO₂ cargo tank developed and designed by WE was granted Approval-in-Principle (AiP) by DNV in December 2023, laying a solid foundation for the design and construction of large-scale LCO₂ carriers.
