INEOS Set for May Launch of First European Built CO2 Carrier
May 1, 2025
The first European built CO2 carrier, dedicated for work at the Greensand carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, will be christened and launched on May 14, 2025.
All ship sections of the vessel have now been successfully constructed and assembled at Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the north of the Netherlands.
The dedicated CO2 carrier currently under construction at Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands is a cornerstone in Greensand’s mission to deliver EU’s first full-scale CCS value chain.
The agreement between INEOS and Wagenborg for the delivery of the new-build CO2 carrier was signed in November 2024.
Wagenborg and Royal Niestern Sander have previously pioneered game-changing vessels such as ‘walk-to-work’ offshore support ships and the EasyMax series.
The vessel is specifically designed to transport liquefied CO2 from onshore capture sites to offshore storage in the Danish part of the North Sea.
Once launched and operational, the carrier will sail regular routes from Port Esbjerg to the Nini West platform, where the CO2 will be injected for safe and permanent storage to the Nini reservoir approx. 1,800 meters beneath the seabed.
These geological formations have securely contained hydrocarbons for millions of years and have been thoroughly assessed and certified for safe and permanent CO2 storage.
The ship itself is designed to meet the highest standards for safety and environmental performance and is tailored to the specific technical requirements of CO2 transport, including onboard cooling and pressure systems. With the completion of the ship’s hull, the vessel enters the next phase of construction, which includes retrofitting, commissioning, testing, and sea trials.
“The completion of all sections of the CO2 vessel is a giant step forward for transportation of CO2 in the EU. This ship is essential to our ambition of establishing the first full-scale CO2 storage facility in the EU. With the carrier now entering its next construction phase, Greensand are getting closer to completing Europe’s first full CCS value chain,” said Mads Gade, CEO of INEOS Energy Europe.
“We are proud to reach this important milestone together with INEOS for the Project Greensand. The vessel is the first of its kind made in the EU and shows how the maritime industry in the North of the Netherlands can contribute to the energy transition. Construction is progressing steadily and according to plan,” added Edwin de Vries, Director of Wagenborg Offshore.
Project Greensand On Track to Become Europe’s First CO2 Storage Facility
This CO2 carrier milestone follows a series of major developments in the Greensand project. In December 2024, INEOS and its partners Harbour Energy and Nordsøfonden made the Final Investment Decision (FID) to move ahead with full-scale CO2 storage operations in the Nini Field.
With the plan to initiate safe sand permanent CO2 storage in the Nini Field by late 2025/early 2026, Greensand is expected to become the EU’s first operational CO2 storage facility aimed at mitigating climate change.
This investment decision has paved the way for expected investments exceeding $150 million across the Greensand CCS value chain to scale up storage capacity.
The dedicated carrier is central to fulfilling this ambition, enabling safe, efficient, and scalable transport of captured CO2 from across Europe to the Danish storage site.
Construction has progressed steadily with several key sections of the vessel completed and assembled. Earlier this year, the successful and safe transport of the aft ship marked another significant step forward.
Project Greensand aims to begin regular offshore CO2 injection by the end of 2025 or early 2026.
The project’s initial phase targets the permanent storage of 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, with the potential to scale up to 8 million tonnes per year by 2030. The arrival of the new CO₂ carrier will be vital in ensuring this ambition becomes a reality – not only for Denmark but for Europe’s broader climate goals.
