By Masayuki Takata / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. are launching full-scale joint development of a transport ship capable of carrying liquefied carbon dioxide $(CO2.UK)$ and synthetic methanol in order to reduce total CO2 emissions.

As part of efforts to capture and utilize CO2, there is a method of producing synthetic methanol using as raw materials green hydrogen derived from renewable energy and CO2, which can then be used as fuel. The shipping industry is focusing on this fuel as one of the ship fuels for decarbonization.

Both companies obtained approval in principle from the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) association for the basic design of the transport ship under development at the end of June. Going forward, they will discuss the commercialization of the synthetic methanol supply chain and the transport ships.

The transport ships are envisioned to operate on sea routes connecting ports near the CO2 capture and liquefaction plants and synthetic methanol production plants. For example, liquefied CO2 would be transported on the outbound voyage and synthetic methanol on the return voyage, improving transport efficiency compared to using dedicated ships for each.

MOL is advancing the creation of the supply chain by such measures as investing in a company which is developing projects for synthetic methanol production in four countries: the United States, Australia, Chile and Uruguay.

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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

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July 04, 2025 05:52 ET (09:52 GMT)

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