Europe Builds World’s First Tanker to Bury CO₂ at Seabed
Europe has taken the first step in the fight against climate change. Today, the world’s first tanker for the seaborne transport of liquefied carbon dioxide will be launched at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the north of the Netherlands. The vessel will be able to transport up to 400,000 tons of liquefied CO₂ annually.
The vessel will be able to transport up to 400,000 tonnes of liquefied CO₂ annually, which will be injected into a depleted oil field in the North Sea. It will be the first commercial greenhouse gas storage project.
The Danish-led Greensand investment project received final approval in December 2024. Carbon dioxide extracted from various sources on the continent, such as direct capture technologies in industrial plants, will be stored in the former Nini West oil field off the coast of Denmark, located 1,800 metres below sea level. It is expected that the carbon dioxide may partially bind to rocks or remain locked up in the Earth’s interior for hundreds of thousands of years.
The vessel is expected to enter service in late 2025 or early 2026. The vessel is equipped with unique cooling and liquefied carbon dioxide control systems. This is the first such project in Europe and possibly in the world.
