London, United Kingdom | December 22, 2025 – In a significant move for the maritime decarbonization sector, Climate tech startup Seabound has officially inaugurated its first full-scale commercial carbon capture systems. Known as “Seabound Containers,” these modular units represent a shift from pilot testing to commercial readiness for onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS).
The announcement, made by Co-Founder and CEO Alisha Fredriksson, follows years of R&D and successful sea trials. The company hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new research and development facility to mark the transition of the technology from a conceptual prototype to a market-ready hardware solution.
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The Technology: Calcium Looping and “Carbonate Pebbles”
Unlike some liquid-based scrubbing technologies, Seabound utilizes a calcium looping process. The system is designed to sit adjacent to a vessel’s funnel, where it intercepts exhaust gases.
- The Process: The equipment uses a proprietary sorbent to trap CO₂ from the exhaust.
- The Output: The captured carbon is chemically locked into solid carbonate pebbles.
- Benefits: These pebbles are non-toxic, easy to handle, and can be offloaded at ports using existing dry-bulk infrastructure, avoiding the complexities of handling liquified CO₂ under high pressure or cryogenic temperatures.
The system is highly flexible, with Seabound claiming it can be tuned to capture between 25% and 95% of a vessel’s CO₂ emissions.
Commercial Deployment: Hartmann Group and Heidelberg Materials
The technology is moving straight into the field. Seabound confirmed that the first commercial containers are slated for delivery in 2026.
The initial units will be deployed for a commercial demonstration in Norway, involving two major industry players:
- Hartmann Group: A leading German ship management and owning company.
- Heidelberg Materials: One of the world’s largest building materials companies, which is actively seeking ways to decarbonize its maritime supply chain.
“Innovators are still innovating, and first movers are still moving first,” said Alisha Fredriksson, CEO of Seabound. “Building climate hardware is hard, especially with unprecedented regulatory intervention at the IMO. That’s why we chose to celebrate this milestone: the first of thousands of Seabound Containers to come.”
Strategic Implications for the Bunkering Industry
As the shipping industry faces mounting pressure from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and EU ETS regulations, Onboard Carbon Capture (OCCS) offers a “middle path” for shipowners who are not yet ready to transition to expensive future fuels like ammonia or hydrogen. Key features of the Seabound system include:
- Installation: Designed as retrofittable modular containers for easy integration.
- Capture Rate: Capable of trapping up to 95% of CO₂ emissions from the ship’s exhaust.
- Automation: The system is fully automated and can be monitored remotely for operational efficiency.
- Offloading: Captured carbon is stored as solid pebbles, allowing for low-risk logistics and easy offloading at ports using existing infrastructure.
The “Why Now?”
With future fuels still decades away from being available at the scale and price point required for global shipping, Seabound positions its system as an immediate solution. By trapping carbon at the source, shipowners can continue to use conventional fuels while drastically reducing their carbon footprint, thereby avoiding the heavy financial penalties associated with high-emission operations.
About Seabound
Seabound is a London-based climate technology startup dedicated to decarbonizing the global shipping industry through innovative onboard carbon capture systems. Founded in 2021 by Alisha Fredriksson and Roujia Wen, the company has pioneered a “decoupled” carbon capture method using calcium looping technology. Unlike traditional systems that require complex liquefaction of CO₂ onboard, Seabound’s equipment reacts exhaust gases with quicklime to create solid calcium carbonate pebbles (limestone).
This approach is specifically designed for the maritime sector’s unique constraints, offering a modular, containerized solution that is easy to retrofit, requires minimal energy, and allows for the safe offloading of captured carbon at any standard port. With backing from top-tier investors like Y Combinator and Lowercarbon Capital, Seabound is moving rapidly toward its goal of capturing 100 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2040.
Source: Seabound