Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), in collaboration with HMM, Panasia, and Korea Register (KR), has successfully demonstrated an onboard carbon capture and storage system (OCCS), marking a significant step forward for maritime decarbonization. This trial, conducted on a commercial HMM container ship, is South Korea’s first such real-world test.
Successful Onboard Carbon Capture Demonstration
Since July 2024, the consortium installed an amine-absorption OCCS on a 2,200-TEU HMM container vessel, the HMM Mongla, which operates a feeder loop in Asia. Over the past year, monthly performance validations were conducted to assess the system’s effectiveness and commercial feasibility under actual operating conditions.
A key highlight of the system is its use of waste heat generated during vessel operation to capture and store CO₂, thereby minimizing additional energy consumption and enhancing its cost-efficiency. In January and May of 2025, the system successfully captured liquefied CO₂ with over 99.9% purity.
Carbon Utilization for Eco-Friendly Fuel
Crucially, the captured CO₂ was not merely stored. It was utilized as a feedstock in the production of eco-friendly methanol, a sustainable marine fuel. Samsung Heavy Industries views this as a meaningful case of carbon resource utilization, moving beyond simple underground storage and contributing to a circular carbon economy in the maritime sector. This demonstrates the potential for a decarbonized value chain that links shipbuilding, shipping, and the energy sector.
Lee Dong-yeon, Executive Vice President and Director of the Ship and Offshore Research Institute at Samsung Heavy Industries, emphasized the transformative potential of OCCS. He stated, “OCCS will serve as an energy source for producing eco-friendly fuel and will play a key role in achieving net-zero emissions for ships in the future,” adding, “We will work to take the lead in the OCCS market through collaboration across the shipbuilding, shipping, and equipment industries.”
Challenges and Future Outlook
While the successful demonstration is a significant milestone, industry experts highlight the urgent need for establishing onshore infrastructure and relevant laws and systems for handling captured CO₂ to accelerate the commercialization of OCCS. This includes facilities for offloading, transport, and further utilization or permanent storage of the captured carbon. Without a robust onshore ecosystem, the widespread adoption of OCCS on vessels will face logistical and regulatory hurdles.
Onboard carbon capture and storage is gaining increasing interest as a viable solution for decarbonizing shipping, especially for existing vessels where alternative fuel conversions might be costly or impractical. Studies suggest that OCCS can achieve significant emission reductions, with some analyses showing that pairing it with biofuels could even lead to “negative carbon” emissions if the captured CO2 is used in products like concrete. This technology also offers a pathway for ships to comply with IMO’s GHG Fuel Intensity (GFI) targets, potentially extending the commercial life of existing vessels by allowing them to continue using conventional fuels while mitigating their emissions.
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Source: Business Korea
