Crowley’s Storm international container ship will be used within the project with Carbon Ridge, where it will have innovative technology installed on it, which will help them to reduce emissions.

This project will be supported by both U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) and Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META). With support from these programs, Crowley and Carbon Ridge have been able to successfully start a pilot project, which has the aim of reducing emissions from Crowley’s Storm international container ship, at the forefront of its goals.

The companies aim for this goal to be achieved through the installation of Carbon Ridge’s technology onto Crowley’s ship. To help them do this, Crowley’s engineering services group have agreed to lead the integration process, bringing with them, skills in vessel design and engineering, project management and waterfront engineering. The carbon capture system will be installed in two containers measuring 40-foot and these will be placed on the main deck. The system will also come with an additional 20-foot ISO-certified tank for storing the captured liquid CO2. The expectation for this project is to capture 1 metric ton of carbon emitted from the vessel’s main engine, every day. As this ship will serve the U.S. and Caribbean Basin, the addition of this installed technology will mean that all the carbon emissions that this vessel gives off now, will be captured by the onboard system and significantly reduce the carbon footprint of this shipping business.

Throughout this pilot program, the co-operating companies and MARAD have come up with a way for the project to operate, measure and optimise the technology’s effectiveness, plus the project will be able to measure this in real-life maritime environments at both port and at sea, enabling the companies to receive the most accurate results around this project. The installation of this small capacity version of Carbon Ridge’s full-scale carbon capture system is expected to take place in 2024, once onshore testing is completed.

CEO, Carbon Ridge, Chase Dwyer, commented, “The advancement of the pilot project represents a milestone in the emerging technology for carbon capture. With its potential for significant emissions reductions through retrofitting or during new building, ship owners and operators have the opportunity to future-proof their vessels for incoming regulations, as well as reach internal goals for decarbonization and reduced emissions impacts.”

Senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Logistics, Brett Bennett, added, “We are excited to help spearhead the maritime industry’s journey to cleaner operations at sea and in our communities. This is a strong step forward to understanding and achieving our commitment to reaching net-zero emissions as part of our sustainability strategy.”