INEOS and Wagenborg Reach Key Milestone with Completion of Europe’s First Offshore CO₂ Carrier

INEOS and Wagenborg Reach Key Milestone with Completion of Europe’s First Offshore CO₂ Carrier

(IN BRIEF) Europe’s first offshore CO₂ carrier, currently under construction at Royal Niestern Sander shipyard, represents a major step in advancing carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure. This milestone will facilitate the transportation of liquefied CO₂ from onshore sites to offshore storage in the Danish North Sea, helping to meet European climate goals. The Greensand project, expected to begin regular CO₂ injection by 2025 or early 2026, is set to be Europe’s first operational CO₂ storage facility, with plans to store up to 8 million tonnes annually by 2030.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 1-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The completion of Europe’s first dedicated offshore CO₂ carrier marks a significant milestone in the energy transition, paving the way for the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure across the continent. The vessel, which has been under construction at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands, has successfully completed all sections, and it now enters the next stage of its construction process.

Mads Gade, CEO of INEOS Energy Europe, expressed his satisfaction with the achievement: “The completion of all sections of the CO2 vessel is a giant step forward for CO₂ transportation within the EU. This ship is crucial to our goal of establishing Europe’s first full-scale CO₂ storage facility. As the carrier moves into its next construction phase, the Greensand project is one step closer to realizing Europe’s first complete CCS value chain.”

Edwin de Vries, Director of Wagenborg Offshore, which is collaborating with INEOS on the project, added: “We are proud to have reached this important milestone in the Project Greensand partnership. This vessel, being the first of its kind in the EU, demonstrates the maritime industry’s contribution to the energy transition. The construction is proceeding on schedule and according to plan.”

The CO₂ carrier will transport liquefied CO₂ from onshore capture sites to offshore storage facilities in the Danish part of the North Sea. Once operational, the ship will travel regular routes from Port Esbjerg to the Nini West platform, where CO₂ will be injected into the Nini reservoir, located approximately 1,800 meters beneath the seabed. The reservoir is well-suited for secure and permanent CO₂ storage, having contained hydrocarbons for millions of years.

Mads Gade emphasized the importance of the geological suitability of the Danish North Sea for CO₂ storage: “By utilizing the storage potential deep beneath the North Sea, we are making a significant contribution to the Danish and European climate goals. The CO₂ carrier is pivotal in developing the first operational CO₂ storage facility in the EU, which is essential for combating climate change.”

The vessel, which meets the highest safety and environmental standards, is tailored for CO₂ transport, equipped with specialized cooling and pressure systems. With the completion of the ship’s hull, the construction now moves forward with retrofitting, commissioning, testing, and sea trials.

This achievement is part of the broader Greensand project, which has already made significant strides. In December 2024, INEOS, alongside its partners Harbour Energy and Nordsøfonden, made the Final Investment Decision (FID) to proceed with the full-scale CO₂ storage operations in the Nini Field. The Greensand project aims to start offshore CO₂ injection by late 2025 or early 2026, initially targeting the permanent storage of 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, with plans to scale up to 8 million tonnes per year by 2030. The new CO₂ carrier will play a crucial role in enabling safe, efficient, and scalable CO₂ transport, ensuring the success of the ambitious project.

About Greensand Future:
The companies behind Greensand are the current holders of the storage license (IRIS) – INEOS Energy Denmark, Harbour Energy, and Nordsøfonden, which is the Danish state’s subsurface company. Greensand also collaborates with a range of partners to ensure that CO₂ is captured, transported, and stored safely and permanently in the North Sea’s subsurface.

Initially, Greensand Future aims to capture, transport, and store 400,000 tons of CO₂ per year, with the potential to gradually increase storage capacity towards 2030. As captured CO₂ volumes rise, there is potential for safe and permanent storage of up to 8,000,000 tons of CO₂ annually.

On March 8, 2023, the INEOS-led pilot project Greensand became the first in the world to transport CO₂ across international borders for safe and permanent offshore storage as part of climate change mitigation efforts. This milestone was marked when His Majesty King Frederik of Denmark officially initiated the first CO₂ storage at the Nini Field during the pilot phase of Project Greensand. Greensand Future is funded by the Innovation Fund.

Learn more about Greensand on the official website: https://greensandfuture.com/

About Royal Wagenborg
https://www.wagenborg.com/
Founded in 1898, Royal Wagenborg is a global maritime logistics family-business. With 3,000 professionals and an extensive fleet on both land and sea, we deliver safe and sustainable logistic solutions. With confidence, we proudly walk the extra mile to deliver on our promises, whatever the challenge. Our people are the pillar of strength for our customers, each other, the environment and the generations to come.

About INEOS
https://www.ineos.com/
INEOS is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products. In 25 years, the Company has grown into a global player: its production network spans 183 sites in 26 countries throughout the world employing more than 26,000 people. INEOS Energy operates the Siri field area and the South Arne and the Solsort in Denmark. INEOS operates the leading carbon storage project in Denmark – Project Greensand – which is a pioneering carbon capture and storage CCS) initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capturing CO2 and securely storing it in depleted oil and gas fields in the North Sea.

About Harbour Energy
https://www.harbourenergy.com/
Since its creation in 2014, Harbour has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse independent oil and gas companies. Today, Harbour has significant production in Norway, the UK, Germany, Argentina and North Africa. Harbour benefits from competitive operating costs and resilient margins, and a broad set of growth options including near-infrastructure opportunities in Norway, unconventional scalable opportunities in Argentina and conventional offshore projects in Mexico and Indonesia. With low GHG emissions intensity and a leading CO2 storage position in Europe, Harbour remains committed to producing oil and gas safely and responsibly to help meet the world’s energy needs. Harbour is headquartered in London with approximately 5,000 staff and contractors across its operations and offices.

About Nordsøfonden
https://eng.nordsoefonden.dk/
Nordsøfonden is the Danish state company tasked with generating value for Danish society by optimising the potential of Denmark’s subsurface assets.  Nordsøfonden stands on two pillars; production of oil & gas, thereby helping ensure supplies of energy and raw materials, whilst at the same time participating in all licenses for underground carbon storage, where Nordsøfonden works to ensure reduction of emissions to the atmosphere.

Greensand Future is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Media Contacts:
Greensand Future: Peter Zacher (peter.zacher@gknordic.com) +45 31 10 96 81
Royal Wagenborg: Guus van der Linde (guus.van.der.linde@wagenborg.com) +31 6 29 47 52 62

SOURCE: INEOS