MacGregor has developed a new Liquid Carbon Dioxide (LCO₂) Bow Transfer System (BTS) designed to enable safe, reliable ship-to-well and ship-to-rig transfer of LCO₂ across a wide range of operating conditions. The system connects capture plants directly to offshore injection units, eliminating the need for the costly intermediate onshore storage and conditioning facilities that current standards often require.

The BTS is based on MacGregor’s Bow Loading System (BLS), which has served the oil and gas sector reliably since the 1970s. About 79% of the new system uses field-proven technology, while the remainder consists of targeted modifications and newly engineered components intended to address the highly volatile properties of LCO₂.

Seal materials for the system have been tested with research organisation SINTEF under rapid gas decompression and LCO₂ conditions. According to MacGregor, the materials maintained integrity through repeated pressure cycles and temperatures as low as -57°C, the threshold below which CO₂ can no longer exist in a liquid state. The system is also designed to support safe, uninterrupted handling in heavy sea states with wave heights of five to six metres, and to seal against water ingress at depths of up to 150 metres.

“Our robust new design solves the challenges of securing reliable and safe connection, transfer, and disconnection in all seasons, even in severe weather, without delays or interruptions,” said Øyvind Solli, Development Programs Manager at MacGregor. “This ensures zero disruption across the value chain, directly supporting the business case for CCS projects.”

MacGregor said its hardware is intended to serve as the foundation for four distinct system architectures, covering low- and medium-pressure systems at 30–60 bar and high-pressure 300 bar direct reservoir injection via seabed swivels or disconnectable turrets. The company said this gives operators flexibility to match the system to specific field requirements as carbon capture and storage projects move from concept toward offshore deployment.

The company joined the EU-funded COREu research and innovation consortium in early 2024 and is currently engaged in an ongoing technology qualification process with DNV. MacGregor said it has completed the planning phase of the process, which included a qualification basis, technology assessment, threat assessment and qualification plan. Prototype testing and demonstration are expected in mid-2027.

“At this stage, we have successfully identified all risks associated with our equipment and its application for LCO₂ transfer,” Solli said. “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.”

Source: MacGregor