Northern Lights Expands CO2 Shipping Fleet With Four New Vessels
Northern Lights, a joint venture (JV) between European energy majors Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, is expanding its carbon dioxide (CO2) transport fleet with four additional vessels. The new ships will be chartered through agreements with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and a consortium formed by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and MISC.
This expansion strengthens Northern Lights’ role in supporting industrial decarbonisation across Europe by increasing transport capacity and improving operational flexibility.
Charter Agreements for New CO2 Vessels
As part of the fleet expansion, Northern Lights has awarded a charter agreement to the K Line–MISC consortium for one new liquid CO2 transport vessel. A second vessel is expected to be awarded to the same consortium in April 2026.
In addition, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has received two charter contracts for two new CO2 transport vessels.
Leadership Commentary on Fleet Growth
Tim Heijn, Managing Director at Northern Lights, said:
“We are pleased to significantly grow our transport capacity by adding vessels to our existing Northern Lights fleet. Northern Lights is set up to offer transport and storage services to industrial emitters in Europe looking to decarbonise. With an expanded fleet, we will be able to deliver on our commitments to our customers. It will also enable us to optimise operations and increase flexibility.
“We are happy to continue working with our existing partners on shipping and to bring in new partners. This demonstrates a further maturation of the market, increasing the number of participants. Together we are pioneers in building the first dedicated CO2 shipping fleet. This experience will benefit Northern Lights, our customers and the CCS industry for the years to come.”
Vessel Specifications and Shipbuilders
The three vessels for which awards have been disclosed will each feature a cargo capacity of 12,000 cubic meters. Ownership will be shared between:
- K Line
- MISC
- Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
The ships will be constructed by Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. (DSOC) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
Delivery Timeline and Charter Operations
The newbuild vessels are scheduled for delivery between the second half of 2028 and the first half of 2029. Once delivered, they will operate under long-term time charter agreements, transporting CO2 across borders from commercial customers throughout Europe.
These agreements follow a global tender process.
Alignment With Northern Lights Expansion Goals
Northern Lights states that the added transport capacity aligns with signed customer contracts and its expansion project, which aims to raise annual transport and storage capacity to more than 5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
Current Fleet and Phase 1 Development
Since late 2024, Northern Lights has taken delivery of three vessels:
- Northern Pioneer
- Northern Pathfinder
- Northern Phoenix
These sister ships each have a cargo capacity of 7,500 cubic meters and were built as part of the Phase 1 development of Norway’s Longship project.
All three vessels are managed by K Line.
A fourth identical ship is currently under construction and is scheduled for delivery in 2026. This vessel will be owned and operated by Bernhard Schulte, part of the Schulte Group.
The four sister ships were built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC) and Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Co. (DSOC).
CO2 Transport and Storage Operations
Northern Lights offers CO2 transport and storage as a service. The project began its first injection of liquid CO2 for permanent storage in August 2025.
Captured CO2 is liquefied and shipped to an onshore receiving terminal in western Norway. From there, it is transported via pipeline to a storage reservoir located 2,600 meters beneath the seabed.
Industrial and Commercial Partners
The project will initially transport and store CO2 from two Norwegian facilities:
- Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Brevik
- Hafslund Celsio’s waste-to-energy plant in Oslo
Northern Lights has also signed commercial agreements with:
- Yara (Netherlands)
- Ørsted (Denmark)
- Stockholm Exergi (Sweden)
