Ships to be retrofitted with carbon capture technology

A joint UK-Europe project to develop carbon capture solutions and other technologies to reduce ships’ emissions and fuel consumption has been launched.

Although current waterborne ships contribute the least to total European transport GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, international regulatory bodies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) seek to further reduce waterborne emissions.

Green Marine Project, b Cyprus Maritime and Maritime Institute (CMMI brings together 10 partners from industry and academia from across Europe and the UK, including the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering, who share a vision of providing the wider maritime community with effective and efficient shipping solutions. Innovating solutions that lead to the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.

The project will run until January 2027 with EU/UK funding of €5 million.

Creative solutions

The Green Marine team develops retrofit protocols and solutions to make the future of shipping energy and fuel efficient, capture carbon emissions from acidifying our oceans, and close virus-free airways.

A software tool that collects knowledge on these and other solutions will be cataloged to assist various stakeholders in decision making. The project will demonstrate these tools and innovative solutions on the Caledonia McBrain (Kalmac) vessel/s.

Dr. Iraklis Lazakis and Prof. Evangelos Boulougouris will lead this effort from Strathclyde, contributing to all technical work packages, in particular rehabilitating the existing fleet and demonstrating the exploitation and distribution activities of the project.

The objectives of the project are as follows.

• Develop and validate retrofit protocol tools to adapt engines, exhaust carbon capture and utilization, and integrated energy efficiency solutions for fleets worldwide.
• Develop and validate a software tool that contains an up-to-date catalog of solutions suitable for different vessel types and operating conditions.
• Apply a suitable (nano) particle and virus removal solution to gas vapor.
• Customize commercially available gas-gas separation membranes for CO2 and water capture.
• Preparation and application of a carbon-forming solution based on an alkaline solution with Ca- and Mg from seawater.
• Dissemination of project lessons to all stakeholders; Encouraging the use of software tools and further enriching the data; Collaborate with global marine owners, operators, shipyards and equipment suppliers.
• Position recovery, software tools as a sustainable solution by providing a real and competitive new option in the Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) market.

Climate neutrality

Dr Lazakis said: “Shipping is a small contributor to carbon emissions globally so if we can develop solutions that capture these emissions we can accelerate the climate neutrality of existing fleets.

“As part of the Green Marine Project, various technologies will be tested and validated for the first time at sea, and based on the results, a demonstration of the technology will take place on one or more Cal Mac vessels.

“This will be done at the end of the project, including a thorough process and consultation period regarding the feasibility and risk assessment of these technologies and their suitability to be applied to the ship/s.”

Other partners in the project are: Cyprus Navy and Maritime Institute; Smart material printing; Wind Plus Sonne GmbH; March University Polytechnic; BlueXPRT; SINTEF; PDM; CalMac Ferries Limited; and a carbon engraving machine.

For more information visit the project website: https://greenmarine-project.eu/ and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-marine-project/