Samsung Heavy completes OCCS Technology demonstration on container ship

Trial Validates Real‑world Effectiveness and Commercial Viability of OCCS

Samsung Heavy Industries announced on July 18 that it and partners HMM, Panasia, and Korea Register (KR) have successfully demonstrated an onboard carbon capture and storage system (OCCS).Since July last year, the collaborating companies installed an amine‑absorption OCCS on a 2,200‑TEU HMM container ship, South Korea’s first such trial on a vessel in commercial operation, and have conducted monthly performance validations.

The demonstration aimed to validate OCCS technology’s real-world effectiveness and commercial feasibility, highlighting its potential for a decarbonized value chain linking shipbuilding, shipping, and the energy sector. The system uses waste heat generated during vessel operation to capture and store CO₂ onboard, minimizing additional energy consumption and reinforcing its cost-efficiency.

Liquefied CO₂ with over 99.9% purity, captured in January and May of this year, was used as feedstock in the production of eco-friendly methanol that can be utilized as ship fuel. Samsung Heavy Industries evaluated this as a meaningful case of carbon resource utilization that goes beyond the simple underground storage of liquefied CO₂.

Meanwhile, industry experts emphasize the urgent need to establish onshore infrastructure and relevant laws and systems for handling captured CO₂, in order to accelerate the commercialization of OCCS. Lee Dong-yeon, executive vice president and director of the Ship and Offshore Research Institute at Samsung Heavy Industries, said, “OCCS will serve as an energy source for producing eco-friendly fuel and will play a key role in achieving net-zero emissions for ships in the future,” adding, “We will work to take the lead in the OCCS market through collaboration across the shipbuilding, shipping, and equipment industries.”

Source: BusinessKorea