MacGregor has developed a Liquid Carbon Dioxide (LCO2) Bow Transfer System designed to transfer captured CO2 directly from transport vessels to offshore injection facilities, a capability that could help simplify logistics and reduce infrastructure requirements for future carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
It is designed to connect capture plants directly to offshore injection systems, circumventing the need for dedicated onshore storage and conditioning facilities.
The technology addresses one of the emerging challenges facing offshore CCS developments: moving large volumes of captured CO2 from industrial emitters to permanent offshore storage sites. Several CCS hubs planned across the North Sea and other offshore regions are expected to depend on marine transportation networks to connect capture locations with offshore reservoirs.
Interest in marine CO2 transport systems is growing as companies advance large-scale offshore carbon storage projects in the North Sea and other regions.
The system remains under qualification, with MacGregor working with DNV to verify the technology ahead of planned prototype testing in mid-2027.
The BTS is a further development of MacGregor's Bow Loading System, first introduced to the oil and gas industry in the 1970s. Much of it is based on field-proven technology, the company says, with various modifications and newly engineered components to handle the volatile properties of LCO2.
Its seal materials have been tested in cooperation with research organization SINTEF under rapid gas decompression and LCO2 conditions, and are said to have maintained integrity throughout repeated pressure cycles and temperatures down to -57°C, the threshold for CO2 to remain in a liquid state.
MacGregor claims the system provides safe, uninterrupted handling in harsh seas with wave heights of 5-6 m, and it can seal against water ingress at depths of up to 150 m.
MacGregor's hardware provides the basis for four different system architectures, covering low- and medium-pressure (30-60 bar) and high-pressure (300 bar) direct reservoir injection via seabed swivels or disconnectable turrets. The configurations allow the system to be matched to specific field requirements.
Flexible transport and injection solutions are increasingly viewed as important for CCS developments because storage sites may differ significantly in water depth, reservoir pressure requirements and field layouts. Technologies that reduce dependence on fixed coastal infrastructure could offer greater deployment flexibility for future projects.
The company is cooperating with DNV on the technology qualification process. So far it has completed the planning phase, comprising a qualification basis, technology assessment, threat assessment and qualification plan.
Prototype testing and demonstration should follow in mid-2027.
“We have successfully identified all risks associated with our equipment and its application for LCO2 transfer,” said Øyvind Solli, MacGregor's development programs manager. “DNV has formally acknowledged these findings, and together, we have established a framework for managing and mitigating the identified risks, including the specific methods required to provide the evidence for final verification.”
MacGregor is exhibiting at booth 5540, Hall 5, at the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) event this week in Stavanger, Norway. The LCO2 Bow Transfer System will be on display at the company's booth.
