ABS has awarded approval in principle to a new offshore LCO2 floating storage and injection unit (FSIU) developed by MODEC in partnership with Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL). The FSIU will eliminate the need for offshore facilities and is tailored to meet the growing demands of the global carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) value chain.
The design can inject up to 10 million tonnes of CO2 annually, with a minimum storage capacity of 100,000 cubic metres. Stationed directly at the injection site, the facility receives LCO2 from transport carriers, compresses it to high pressure, and injects it into subsea wells for permanent storage. By bypassing onshore terminals, the model allows flexible deployment across offshore reservoirs and reduces dependence on land-based infrastructure.
Miguel Hernandez, Senior Vice President for Global Offshore at ABS, commented: ‘Carbon capture is advancing rapidly, with the International Energy Association projecting global capacity to reach 435 million tonnes per year by 2030. Floating storage and injection units, such as MODEC’s innovative design, will be important for enabling the safe and efficient sequestration of captured carbon. This concept is a step forward in delivering the global carbon value chain and ABS is proud to support its development.’
Technical features of the FSIU include tandem and side-by-side loading systems that support uninterrupted injection operations. To limit its own emissions, the unit integrates diesel generators with onboard carbon capture technology.
Arata Kamishohara, Vice President for Business and Project Development at MODEC, emphasised the commercial potential of the concept. ‘While this FSIU is a new concept, each component on the unit is not necessarily new to MODEC. MODEC has experience with CO2 injection and dual (oil) offloading system. All the utility systems are similar to what we do on FPSOs every day. We collaborated with MOL, who cover the transportation portion of CCUS value chain, for interfaces between LCO2 carriers and the FSIU. With this, we are planning to achieve $5/tCO2 or less, which I don’t think is a stretch target.’
The approval comes as ABS is expanding its portfolio of floating solutions to support carbon capture and decarbonisation. Earlier this month the classification society also granted approval in principle to Aragon’s FPSO Bluebell, a floating unit designed to produce blue ammonia through natural gas reforming with more than 95% carbon capture. The project aims to reduce the cost of zero-carbon ammonia while enabling large-scale exports.
