Singapore, 9 September 2025 – In a landmark move for maritime decarbonisation, the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has successfully completed Project CAPTURED, the world’s first end-to-end demonstration of onboard carbon capture, offloading, transport, and utilisation of captured CO₂.
This pioneering pilot marks a critical step in validating the technical, operational, and safety feasibility of integrating Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) systems with downstream industrial carbon utilisation pathways.
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A First-of-Its-Kind: Demonstrating the Full Carbon Value Chain
Project CAPTURED represents the maritime sector’s most comprehensive validation to date of a full carbon value chain—from at-sea CO₂ capture to onshore mineralisation. The initiative was conducted in China and reached a successful conclusion on 25 June 2025.
Central to the project was Evergreen Marine Corp’s Ever Top, a container vessel equipped with an onboard OCCS system developed by Shanghai Qiyao Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. (SMDERI-QET). The system captured 25.44 metric tonnes (MT) of CO₂ during regular operations.
This captured CO₂ was then transferred ship-to-ship to Dejin 26, owned by Zhoushan Dejin Shipping Co., Ltd., before undergoing a ship-to-truck transfer and land-based transportation to Baorong Environmental Co., Ltd. (Baorong).
At Baorong, the liquefied CO₂ (LCO₂) was mineralised into value-added products, including precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and post-carbonated slag, using steel slag as feedstock—thereby permanently fixing the carbon in solid form.
Tracking Quality and Quantity: Exceeding Industrial Standards
To validate the integrity of the carbon chain, GCMD conducted comprehensive sampling and analysis across all custody transfer points.
- The purity of the captured CO₂ consistently exceeded 99.95 vol%, meeting stringent industrial utilisation requirements.
- Of the total 25.44 MT captured onboard, 15.84 MT was successfully delivered and utilised by the end-user.
This level of transparency and traceability is essential for future regulatory compliance and commercial adoption.
No Compromises on Safety
Safety was at the heart of Project CAPTURED’s operations. The trial was completed without a single safety incident, thanks to rigorous planning and execution:
- A detailed hazard identification risk assessment (HIRA) was conducted for all offloading stages—from vessel approach and mooring to disconnection.
- Existing LNG and LPG transfer protocols were adapted for handling LCO₂, with modifications ensuring temperature, pressure, and emergency management were tightly controlled.
This underscores the operational readiness of carbon capture systems in real-world maritime settings.
Addressing EU ETS Limitations: A Call to Expand Recognised End-Uses
A significant insight from the pilot was the need to expand the list of EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) eligible end-uses for captured CO₂.
Currently, the EU ETS recognises CO₂ as “utilised” only when permanently fixed in construction materials (e.g., cement, aggregates, bricks). However, PCC, though chemically permanent and widely used in plastics, paper, and building materials, is not yet fully recognised under EU ETS criteria unless used specifically in construction.
“As carbon capture scales, pathways like PCC production could provide critical demand for captured CO₂,” GCMD notes in the report.
Expanding EU ETS eligibility could unlock new commercial opportunities and accelerate investment in carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technologies.
Overcoming Key Bottlenecks for Scaling
Project CAPTURED identifies several key areas for improvement to enable the scaling and commercial viability of the onboard CO₂ value chain:
1. Regulatory Reclassification
- Captured CO₂ is currently treated as hazardous waste in many jurisdictions, complicating transport and use.
- GCMD recommends reclassifying it as hazardous cargo, enabling broader legal and logistical flexibility.
2. Operational Streamlining
- Aligning tank capacities, reducing CO₂ vaporisation, and standardising emergency shutdown systems are vital for smoother offloading and transfer.
- The use of custody-transfer grade flow meters and inline gas analysers would ensure consistent monitoring of quality and volume.
3. Commercial Optimisation
- Co-locating offloading and utilisation facilities.
- Expanding industrial partnerships to create more demand.
- Supporting CO₂-derived product markets to drive long-term commercial viability.
Global Policy Engagement: Supporting IMO Frameworks
Findings from Project CAPTURED will be formally presented at the Technical Seminar on OCCS Systems, organised by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Scheduled for 11 September 2025 in London, the event is part of the IMO’s Future Fuels and Technology Project.
Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD, commented “For OCCS to truly gain traction, what happens downstream is just as important as capturing CO₂ onboard. Ships are floating assets that ply the world’s oceans, which makes it vital to harmonise standards and regulations across ports and terminals so that offloading can be carried out safely and at scale.”
Her remarks highlight the urgent need for global regulatory alignment to support widespread deployment of maritime carbon capture systems.
Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) in Brief
Founded in 2021, the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Singapore, the world’s largest bunkering hub. GCMD’s mission is to accelerate the maritime sector’s transition to net-zero emissions through:
- Technology deployment
- Standards development
- Collaborative partnerships
- Project financing
Backed by six founding industry leaders —BHP, BW Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Foundation Det Norske Veritas, Ocean Network Express, and Seatrium—GCMD receives co-funding from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
To date, GCMD has welcomed over 130 partners, including bp, Hanwha Ocean, Hapag-Lloyd, NYK Line, and PSA International. Its four core decarbonisation initiatives focus on:
- Ammonia as a marine fuel
- Drop-in green fuel assurance
- Onboard carbon capture and utilisation
- Bridging data-financing gaps in energy efficiency
Looking Ahead
Project CAPTURED’s success is more than a proof-of-concept—it is a definitive signal that a scalable carbon value chain from ship to shore is within reach.
As the maritime industry races against the climate clock, efforts like this from GCMD not only set the benchmark but chart the course toward a commercially viable, globally harmonised, net-zero maritime future.
Source Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD)