Keel Laying of First Bernhard Schulte LCO2 Carrier

In December 2023, the Schulte Group announced the expansion of its fleet portfolio by ordering its first LCO₂ carrier. At the end of November 2024, the keel-laying ceremony took place at the yard of Dalian Shipbuilding & Offshore Company (DSOC) in China, marking an important milestone on this project.

The newbuilding has been commissioned by Bernhard Schulte, the group’s ship owning arm. The plan approval and construction supervision are carried out by the group’s newbuilding division Schulte Marine Concept (S.M.C.).

The newbuilding is designed as an LCO₂ tanker of the type 2PG/3G, suitable for the transportation of refrigerated liquefied gases in two cylindrical-shaped independent cargo tanks of the IMO type C. With a cargo capacity of 7,500 m³, it will feature innovative technologies to significantly reduce its carbon footprint with LNG as the primary fuel for the ship. Combined with other proven technologies, such as wind-assisted rotor sails and air lubrication, it is expected to achieve a carbon footprint approximately 34% lower than that of conventional ships running on marine fuel.

The novel carrier is committed to a long-term time charter agreement with Northern Lights, a joint venture owned by Shell, TotalEnergies and Equinor, and will support the development of the world’s first cross-border CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure. Here, ships custom-built for transportation of liquefied CO₂ will safely transport the chemical compound from Northern Lights’ customers across Northwest Europe to the CO₂ receiving terminal at Øygarden, Norway before permanent geological storage. Northern Lights envisages putting to work four LCO₂ tankers in total, with the first one having been already delivered in November. The delivery of the Bernhard Schulte vessel is scheduled for 2026.