The Northern Lights project has just added two new vessels to its liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO\u2082) transport fleet, strengthening its ability to connect emitting industries to subway storage in Norway.<\/p>\n\n
The new carriers were launched from the facilities of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC), part of China’s state-owned CSSC. They are the third and fourth vessels ordered by Northern Lights, the joint venture between Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies. <\/p>\n\n
These vessels will join their predecessors, the Northern Pioneer<\/a><\/strong> and the Northern Pathfinder<\/a><\/strong>, to make cross-border shipments of CO\u2082 up to injection into geological formations beneath the North Sea seabed.<\/p>\n\n All vessels are propelled by liquefied natural gas<\/a><\/strong> (LNG) and one of them includes wind-assisted propulsion technology developed by Norsepower<\/a><\/strong>. Japanese maritime operator K Line is in charge of the management of these units, including the UK version of K Line Energy Shipping. <\/p>\n\n The maritime transport system is an integral part of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure promoted by the Norwegian government under the Longship program<\/a><\/strong>. The receiving terminal at \u00d8ygarden has been ready since 2024 to receive CO\u2082 from different parts of Europe. <\/p>\n\n The company said that, interestingly, during the launch, the water in the dam formed a figure similar to the number “6”, considered in China as a symbol of good fortune and smooth transitions. An omen that Northern Lights could consider favorable for this new operational phase. <\/p>\n\nKey infrastructure for decarbonization<\/h2>\n\n