Headway Technology Group has fitted its Onboard Carbon Capture System (OCCS) onto the 57,000 dwt bulk carrier Yue Dian 56 at Longshan Shipyard in Zhoushan. The retrofit, completed in collaboration with multiple Chinese state-backed partners, is being described as both the country’s first-ever deployment of centrifugal OCCS and the first commercial application of the technology worldwide.
The system uses a high-speed centrifugal carbon capture process, integrating absorption and desorption with liquefaction and onboard LCO2 storage. Headway claims it can achieve a capture rate exceeding 90 per cent with a purity level of at least 99.6 per cent. By replacing conventional gravity-based scrubbers, the company says the centrifugal design reduces energy consumption and allows for a more compact, easily integrated unit.
Captured CO2 will be offloaded at Zhoushan’s pilot port in line with the latest guidelines for LCO2 handling, before being channelled into Headway’s sustainable fuel projects such as methanol and ammonia synthesis. These fuels will be produced using hydrogen generated via AEM electrolysis and stored with solid-state hydrogen technologies. According to Headway, this arrangement creates a ‘closed-loop green lifecycle’ in which captured carbon is reused rather than released.
The project is backed by the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone Zhoushan Administration Committee, Guangdong Energy Group, the CHN Energy New Energy Technology Research Institute and the China Classification Society Shanghai Rules and Research Institute. The involvement of both state-owned enterprises and regulatory bodies underscores Beijing’s support for carbon capture as a transitional measure while alternative fuels continue to scale.
At a recent seminar, the IMO highlighted OCCS as a viable interim measure for shipping’s decarbonisation. However, challenges remain before the technology can be rolled out widely. Industry observers point to higher operating costs, the need for additional crew training and maintenance, solvent replenishment, and a lack of port infrastructure for CO2 handling outside of pilot hubs.
