EPS completes groundbreaking installation of carbon capture solution

SINGAPORE : Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has successfully installed a fully integrated carbon capture solution from Value Maritime on one of its vessels.

Value Maritime’s Filtree system has been installed on the tanker Pacific Cobalt in Rotterdam. The system acts a scrubber filter 99% of sulphur and particulate matter and also includes a carbon capture and storage (CCS) module that can capture up to 40% of CO₂ emissions from main and auxiliary engines.

The CO₂ is captured in a chemical which is stored in tank onboard with a capacity for more than 200 tonnes of CO₂ in a single voyage.

With low and zero carbon fuels in their infancy CCS technology offers an immediate pathway to reduce emissions. While an increasingly large percentage of newbuildings are being ordered with dual-fuel capabilities retrofits for existing are both costly and time-consuming. The installation of the Value Maritime system took 17 days according to EPS.

EPS CEO Cyril Ducau commented, “2023 marks a critical year for the shipping industry. For us to hit IMO 2050 and net zero targets, we need to start moving the needle significantly now. To ensure that we are able to make a significant difference, we have been developing a portfolio of solutions across various vessel types.

Advanced decarbonisation technology, like the CCS system from Value Maritime, offers a concrete solution that can be implemented on existing vessels. The result is an immediate carbon emission reduction while removing the need to wait for the development and rationalisation of alternative green fuel infrastructure.”

CCS technology is not without its controversy and there are questions over what happens to the CO₂ once it is captured with supply chains for the reuse of CO₂ at a nascent stage.

EPS said that the chemical with the captured CO₂ will be pumped out in port and delivered to end users, such as greenhouses or synthetic fuel producers, who will be able to release the CO₂ on demand.

It is understood EPS is in active discussions with end users.

Value Maritime Co-Founder & Director Maarten Lodewijk said, “Indeed, 2023 is the year of change for sustainable shipping. EPS is leading the charge of shipping companies that have already started the transition to a greener fleet.”

In December last year Ardmore Tankers ordered Filtree systems for six MR tankers that will be made carbon capture ready. Last month Purus Marine and Nordic Hamburg ordered four systems that will be installed on its four newbuild container vessels that will be operated by BG Freight Line.