Northern Lights: Third and fourth LNG-fueled LCO2 carriers see first light of day

August 21, 2025, by Sara Kosmajac

China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC), part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), has launched two new liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carriers built for Northern Lights, a joint venture (JV) between energy players Shell, Equinor and TotalEnergies.

As revealed by Northern Lights in a social media post, the two new ships that were launched from the dry dock at DSIC are the third and fourth newbuilds in the JV’s LCO2 fleet.

Alongside their sister vessels, which have been christened Northern Pioneer and Northern Pathfinder, the newbuild LCO2 carriers, which will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), are hoped to allow for safe, cross-border carbon dioxide transport to the permanent storage units under the North Sea.

To remind, the steel cutting ceremony for the third vessel was held at the beginning of June last year. As Offshore Energy reported at the time, the 7,500 cbm LCO2 carrier—which would be delivered fitted with a wind propulsion system provided by Finnish rotor sail manufacturer Norsepower—is to be managed by Japanese maritime transport colossal Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line).

The Northern Lights JV had placed the booking for this newbuild back in 2023.

The keel laying ceremony for the fourth unit was officiated in December 2024, a year after the shipbuilding order was placed.

Regarding the sister ships, as informed, the inaugural LCO2 carrier of the fleet, the Northern Pioneer, wrapped up sea trials in September last year and was ready for delivery by the end of November. The vessel is also managed by K Line.

View on Offshore-energy.

On the other hand, Northern Pathfinder was christened in mid-June this year. Once formally handed over, the 130-meter-long ship is going to be managed by the Japanese shipping player’s UK division, K Line Energy Shipping (UK) Limited.

View on Offshore-energy.

Northern Lights is said to be the world’s first company to provide commercial CO2 transport and storage as a service. Its carbon dioxide receiving terminal in Øygarden, Norway, was completed in late September 2024 and has ever since been ready to accept shipments from both Norwegian and European industries.

The Northern Lights project forms a ‘central’ part of Norway’s Longship initiative, which aims to establish a full-scale carbon capture and storage value chain.

The project encompasses the construction of the CO2 receiving terminal, subsea infrastructure such as pipelines, subsea installations and wells, as well as intermediate storage tanks and supporting onshore facilities.