ABS greenlights ‘first-of-its-kind’ LCO2 barge design

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted its stamp of approval to compatriot Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) for a preliminary design of a liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) barge.

Rendering of the liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) barge. Courtesy of Aptamus

As disclosed, Overseas Shipbuilding, the parent company of marine carbon transport and storage provider Aptamus Carbon Solutions, secured the approval in principle (AiP) for the vessel following the latest ABS requirements for constructing and classing liquefied gas tank barges.

The creation of the ship’s design is described as an‘essential’ component of the Tampa Regional Intermodal Carbon Hub (T-RICH) project, a proposed carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Tampa Bay region in Florida.

As informed, the project, for which OSG secured a $400,000 grant from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) in December 2023, is designed to collect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial sources, transport them via pipelines or other means, and either store them underground or repurpose them for industrial applications.

The vessel’s cargo handling system design is based on medium-pressure LCO2 Type C-tanks, with a capacity to transport 20,000 mt of cargo. The ABS has noted that the articulated tug and barge unit (ATB) will be the “first-of-its-kind” to service carbon capture projects in the United States.

“The safe transportation of CO2 plays a vital role in the carbon value chain, and ABS is proud to use our expertise as the world’s leading classification society for gas carriers to support this milestone project for US operations,” said Gareth Burton, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering.

Sharing his insight regarding the development, Kent Merrill, Aptamus Vice President of Marine Projects, further highlighted: “Articulated tugs and barges are popular and effective in the US for the carriage of petroleum products for several reasons, and those advantages hold true for LCO2 vessels as well. We look forward to the continued detailed development of the design, including designing the tug to utilize green methanol or other green fuels and technologies.”

“We look forward to the continued detailed development of the design, including designing the tug to utilize green methanol or other green fuels and technologies,”Merrill added.

Jeffrey Ross Williams, Aptamus President, shared that the approval in principle was ‘vital’ for the company’s efforts to aid the American maritime industry in engineering the technology needed for the national emission reduction goals.

LCO2 shipping, responsible for the safe transport of large volumes of liquefied carbon dioxide from capture sites to storage or utilization facilities, is an emerging sector in the US, having gained increased attention as part of CCS and CCUS strategies.

While the United States has a ‘significant’ network of CO2 pipelines and is actively engaged in projects related to LCO2 carrier technology, a large-scale fleet of these ships is not yet in operation. However, efforts have been made to construct and deploy US-flagged (and -built) LCO2 carriers, with some units already under construction and others in the planning stage.

The American Bureau of Shipping, for instance, teamed up with ECOLOG Services, shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean and Babcock International Liquid Gas Equipment (LGE) in September 2023 to work on the design of a 40,000 cbm liquified carbon dioxide carrier that meets class and statutory requirements.

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