MOL in Japanese on board carbon capture first

MOL’s LR1 product tanker Nexus Victoria will be fitted with a commercial on board CO2 capture solution

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL) will be the first Japanese shipping company to commercially install a CO2 capture solution on board one of its ships. And that’s good news for Rotterdam headquartered Value Maritime. It is to provide a 15 MW next generation Filtree exhaust gas scrubber with an additional carbon capture unit for installation on MOL’s LR1 product tanker Nexus Victoria.

With a deadweight (DWT) of 75,000, this is the largest vessel, in terms of DWT, and the first LR1 tanker to be fitted with a Value Maritime Filtree scrubber and carbon capture unit. Installation is expected to take place before the end of the year. As supplied, the system will remove 10% of the carbon from the product tanker’s exhaust, however the unit designed for the Nexus Victoria is capable of increasing its carbon capture rate to 30% if required.

“This system is noteworthy as an initiative to promote decarbonization of existing vessels, which are difficult to convert to next-generation fuels.” said MOL tanker unit executive officer Hiroyoshi Kubo. “MOL and Value Maritime will continue working toward the realisation of a carbon-neutral society by reducing GHG emissions from vessels and building a CO2 capture value chain.”

The Filtree system is based on innovative technology that filters sulfur, CO2 and 99% of ultra-fine particulate matter from the tankers’ exhaust stream. The plug and play Filtree system installed on the MOL product tanker will be outfitted with a CO2 capture and storage system to help reduce emissions further. With this, CO2 is captured from the vessel’s exhaust and stored in tanks onboard. This is then discharged onshore where it can be used, for example, in the sustainable cultivation of greenhouse crops, methanol plants, and even the food industry.

“Hopefully this is the first of many Japanese clients that we can support in achieving decarbonisation initiatives. We are grateful to the MOL team for placing their trust and belief in us and the quality of our technology and showing the market how it’s done,” said Laurens Visser, commercial manager at Value Maritime. “Working with one of the world’s most reputable shipowners keeps us motivated. It challenges us to stay ahead and continue to provide the best and simplest emission-reducing solutions to the shipping industry.”

“Our ambition is to expand our carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) facilities globally through our sister company, Value Carbon. Offering clients end-to-end solutions is the only way we can reach industry decarbonization goals,” said Christiaan Nijst, founder and director at Value Group. “We focus specifically on locations where captured carbon is best handled, like bunkering ports and always look for the most energy-efficient way to utilize the carbon at the lowest cost per tonne.”