Singapore’s X-Press Feeders is trying out carbon capture and storage on two more container ships.
Value Maritime will supply the emissions-reduction kits for the 868-teu Atlantis A (built 2007) and 1,036-teu X-Press Elbe (built 2010).
Retrofitting is expected to be done in late summer.
This will mean a 20% emissions reduction when the vessels resume trading in north-western Europe, Netherlands-based Value Maritime said.
In addition to the carbon capture module, a CO2 battery system will be installed.
The captured carbon from the exhaust will charge the batteries, which will be offloaded and discharged at greenhouses in Europe, where the CO2 will be re-used to grow crops or flowers.
The clean-loop kit means water used to clean the ship’s exhaust gas is filtered before discharge.
This is not the first time X-Press has used the technology.
The technique was pioneered last October on the 1,036-teu feeder container ship Nordica (built 2011), managed by Visser Shipping.
Proven technology
The Nordica, owned by Nordic Hamburg and operated by X-Press, was the first vessel to capture and store CO2 on board while in operation and has proved that the technology works, Value Maritime said.
Maarten Lodewijks, co-founder and director of Value Maritime, said: “A new user of our technology is always exciting. A repeat user, however, is the best feeling.
“On leaving the yard, X-Press Feeders will immediately begin to reduce the carbon footprint of these vessels.
“It’s instant results in an easy, energy-efficient and cost-effective way with virtually no downtime.”
In November, X-Press ordered 16 methanol-powered container ships at two Chinese yards.
The 1,170-teu “state of the art” vessels will be outfitted with ultramodern dual-fuel engines that can operate on regular fuel or green methanol and are “specifically designed to be highly fuel-efficient”.
No price has been revealed.
The ships will be delivered between the final quarter of 2023 and the end of 2024. Eight will come from New Dayang Shipbuilding and eight from Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding Group.
