Singapore's Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) signed a definitive agreement with Rotterdam-based Value Maritime (VM) to install carbon capture and filtering systems on MR tankers M/T Pacific Cobalt and M/T Pacific Gold, with an option to equip three more vessels. The installation of the first system is scheduled to be completed within 2022 with engineering and planning underway.
The 2020-built, 49,700 DWT sister vessels, will be fitted with VM’s Filtree System – a prefabricated gas cleaning system that is designed to filter sulfur and 99% of particulate matter. The system will include a Carbon Capture Module charging a CO2 battery onboard. The charged CO2 battery will be discharged in port and subsequently used by CO2 customers, such as greenhouses, or injected into carbon sequestration networks. The discharged battery will be returned to the vessel for CO2 recharging. This ‘plug and play’ approach allows vessels to capture up to 40% of CO2 emissions today, with the potential of exceeding 90% in the future.
In addition to its carbon capture capabilities, the Filtree System also removes oil residue and particulate matter from the wash water, ensuring its PH value is neutralised and contributes to reducing the acidification of seawater.
Installation onboard M/T Pacific Cobalt is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, while the installation onboard M/T Pacific Gold is scheduled to be completed by the end of Q1 2023.
In addition to the retrofits, EPS and VM are exploring future collaboration opportunities, such as deploying the Filtree System onboard EPS newbuilds, including a new generation of containerships.