Lomar labs, a new subsidiary of UK-based shipowner Lomar shipping, part of Libra Group, has partnered with carbon capture start-up Seabound to capture CO2 onboard ships. 

Lomar will test Seabound’s patent-pending carbon capture device and provide feedback for its development. The compact technology can be installed into a ship’s engine exhaust at the funnel. 

“Lomar labs is advising on engineering and design for this transformative solution, adapting it to the realities of everyday commercial shipping operations. We help formulate pilot tests on Lomar vessels, and fine-tune the business model using our industry insight to help make a viable business. We share our experience and network to develop solutions that have the potential of delivering systematic change for our maritime industry,” said Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director of Lomar labs.

The CO2 chemically reacts with pebbles of quicklime, which convert into limestone, keeping the CO2 locked in. 

The limestone pebbles are momentarily stored onboard before the ship returns to port. Using this technology eliminates the need for energy-intensive CO2 separation, compression, or liquefaction. Once the vessel returns to port, the pebbles are offloaded and sold in pure form or turned back into quicklime and CO2. The quicklime can be reused onboard another ship and the CO2 can be sold for utilisation in various applications or sequestered.  

Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) is advanced technology which captures CO2 generated from ships and has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in the medium term, especially for the existing fleet. 

Lomar stated that it will begin preparations to deploy the technology onboard the first ship in May and June this year to run the pilot project over the summer. The project is part of the UK Department of transport-funded Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3) which was announced in September 2022. 

Seabound Co-Founder & CEO, Alisha Fredriksson, welcomed the collaboration with Lomar labs in the first-of-a-kind ship-based pilot of Seabound’s compact carbon capture technology. 

“It has already been instrumental working with Stylianos and his team because they’re keen to jump into the technical details with us and to brainstorm creative approaches to iteratively and cost-effectively de-risk this novel technology. Together we aim to demonstrate that the shipping industry doesn’t have to wait to decarbonize in 5-10+ years, but that there are already viable solutions coming to the market now,” she noted. 

“We are keen on exploring technologies that will unlock maritime innovation and lead to the decarbonisation of our industry. With Lomar labs and Seabound’s conjoined efforts, we are excited to accelerate our involvement in the mission towards safer, cleaner oceans and contribute to bringing zero-emission shipping from theory to practice,” CEO of Lomar Shipping Nicholas Georgiou added.