DNV issues Statement of Feasibility and EU Innovation Fund awards $249 million to a plan by Aker BP and Höegh Evi to use shuttle carriers to deliver liquefied CO₂ directly into subsea storage wells in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The project potentially avoids the need for new onshore facilities and cross-border pipelines.
The proposed system would see Höegh Evi’s shuttle carriers transport liquefied CO₂ to the Atlas storage site, where an offshore transfer system and subsea pipelines would connect the vessels directly to injection wells. DNV concluded that the main technical challenges and uncertainties are manageable at the current stage of development, while identifying areas requiring further design work and verification.
The concept would make shipping central to the transport chain, rather than relying on a continuous pipeline connection from shore to the storage reservoir. It could also avoid the need for permanent offshore structures, although pipeline transport remains a future option.
Designing a marine-based CO₂ supply chain
Located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, Atlas is planned to handle up to 6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually in its initial phase, with potential for expansion. The storage licence has an estimated capacity of 150 million tonnes, with injection targeted to begin in 2031, and operations expected to continue for more than 25 years.
The wider system envisages CO₂ captured from European industrial emitters being delivered to a floating terminal for aggregation, purification and liquefaction before onward shipment. The terminal is designed to accommodate between 40,000 and 80,000 cubic metres of intermediate storage, while each shuttle carrier could transport up to 50,000 cubic metres per voyage. The terminal’s conditioning operations were not included in DNV’s latest assessment.
The proposed offshore arrangement builds on earlier DNV Approvals in Principle for Höegh Evi’s liquefied CO₂ carrier and floating CO₂ reception and conditioning terminal (FCSO). The latest assessment, conducted under DNV’s technology qualification methodology, focused on the infrastructure needed to transfer CO₂ from ships into the reservoir.
“Direct injection from ship to reservoir requires the marine, subsea and injection systems to function as one integrated value chain,” said Prajeev Rasiah, Senior Vice-President and Regional Director for Northern Europe, Energy Systems at DNV. He added that further verification and development would be required as the project progresses.
Investment decision remains ahead
The Atlas licence, EXL011, was awarded by Norway’s Ministry of Energy in September 2024. Aker BP operates the licence with an 80% interest, alongside ORLEN with 20%.
In October 2026, Aker BP and Höegh Evi were awarded $248.6 million (€223 million) from the EU Innovation Fund to support implementation of the cross-border CO₂ transport and storage network, subject to a final investment decision (FID) in 2028. Atlas was also included in the European Commission’s second Union list of Projects of Common Interest and Projects of Mutual Interest in April 2026.
The project remains subject to further development and investment decisions, with operations targeted to begin in 2031. A similar marine-based direct-injection approach is also being evaluated for Aker BP’s EXL005 Poseidon CO₂ storage licence offshore Norway.
For shipping, the concept offers a potential role beyond transporting captured CO₂ between ports: vessels could become the direct link between floating logistics infrastructure and offshore storage reservoirs. Whether that model advances will depend on further technical verification and the project’s progression towards a final investment decision.
