Petronas, MOL, SDARI JV obtain approvals from DNV and ABS

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has received approval in principle (AiP) for a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier from ship classification societies Det Norsk Veritas AS (DNV) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

In addition to the AiP for the LCO2 carrier development project, ABS issued an AiP for a floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit.

Both the carrier and the FSO were jointly developed by MOL, Malaysian state oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), and the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI).

Under a memorandum of understanding signed 7 February 2022, MOL and Petronas studied ocean transport for LCO2 within the Asia Pacific and Oceania region and with SDARI, completed the concept study of LCO2 carriers and the FSO unit.

MOL senior managing executive officer Nobuo Shiotsu said, “MOL is pleased with our achievement of the various designs of the LCO2 carrier and FSO in co-operation with Petronas and SDARI. Development on a large scale is an essential step for the CCUS value chain within the Asia Pacific and Oceania region.

Through the newly acquired AiP, the MOL Group will further accelerate this initiative on the CO2 transport business to contribute to reducing society’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.”

MOL said it will collaborate with Petronas through the newly acquired AiPs and will continue its efforts to develop various technologies including LCO2 carriers and FSOs, and build a diverse CCUS value chain.