Eastern Pacific Shipping’s-owned 50,000 dwt mid-range chemical carrier Pacific Cobalt has become the first ship to receive Lloyd’s Register (LR) class notation for its onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) system.
The 2020-built Pacific Cobalt is one of three EPS MR tankers that have been refitted with the CCS system, with equipment surveys currently underway on the other two vessels.
The tanker retrofit features a prefabricated onboard carbon capture & storage (OCCS) system supplied by Value Maritime, to significantly reduce exhaust emissions.
Value Maritime reports that the “installation of Value Maritime Filtree System will enable the 2020-built chemical tanker to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 40%.”
Cyril Ducau, chief executive officer of Eastern Pacific Shipping called the Pacific Cobalt’s retrofit with Value Maritime’s exhaust cleaning and Carbon Capture System, “an important milestone in EPS’s sustainable shipping journey.”
LR explains that the Emission Abatement Carbon Capture & Storage (EACCS) (Amine, HFO) class notation provides assurance that any safety risks associated with the OCCS installation have been mitigated and that the solution is effective and reliable.
Rule requirements for the design, construction and installation survey of OCCS are included in the LR class notation EACSS.
Requirements associated with the new class notation LR explains address the safety risks that may present to the vessel, covering aspects such as materials, structure, containment, piping, refrigeration plant, electrical, control, safety systems, vessel integration and manufacturing.
Requirements associated with the READY descriptive note cover the preparation of a vessel for the future installation and integration of an EACCS, such as structures, layout, interfacing, materials, electrical and safety systems.
“This class notation for an OCCS is the first for Lloyd’s Register and the first for a vessel of this size,” explained Nick Brown, chief executive officer of LR. “Eastern Pacific Shipping is a pioneer in onboard CCS and this installation demonstrates its commitment to reducing emissions in its operations in line with IMO ambitions. This class notation will further support OCCS installations on ships giving industry confidence in the technology’s ability to support shipping’s decarbonisation goals.”
“The issuance of the very first LR class notation for onboard carbon capture is huge for our industry,” said Jurriaan Guljé, operations director, Value Maritime. “The combined commitment and engineering expertise of EPS, LR, and Value Maritime have made onboard carbon capture a reality, paving the way for OCCS technology to significantly contribute to sustainable maritime operations.”
It is worth mentioning that LR awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) to Value Maritime’s Filtree System in September 2022.
