INEOS and Royal Wagenborg have launched Carbon Destroyer 1, Europe’s first offshore CO₂ carrier, advancing Project Greensand’s carbon capture and storage efforts.

• The launch and naming of “Carbon Destroyer 1” marks a significant breakthrough for Project Greensand and Carbon Capture and Storage across the EU.
• Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, says: “The launch of Carbon Destroyer 1 is an important next step for Carbon Capture and Storage in Europe. We demonstrate that Carbon Storage is commercially viable and a far better way to decarbonise Europe without deindustrialisation.” 
• Egbert Vuursteen, CEO of Wagenborg, says: “This launch is a defining moment for Wagenborg. It combines over a century of maritime experience with a forward-looking sustainability vision. As the first European-built offshore CO₂ carrier, this vessel positions us — and our partners — at the forefront of the energy transition in Europe.”

INEOS Energy and Royal Wagenborg have launched and named the first European-built offshore CO2 carrier to enable carbon capture storage across Europe. The launch and naming of Carbon Destroyer 1 marks a defining moment in developing Project Greensand and the EU’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain.

As Godmother of the vessel, Lady Catherine Ratcliffe performed the traditional naming ceremony to launch the carrier at the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands as part of a close partnership between Royal Wagenborg and INEOS Energy.

Maritime innovation meets climate action.

The Carbon Destroyer 1 carrier is based on Wagenborg’s EasyMax design and has been specially adapted for handling CO₂ under pressure and at low temperatures. It is built to the highest safety and environmental standards, aligning with maritime sustainability goals.

Through Project Greensand, Denmark is positioning itself as a hub for CO₂ storage in Europe, and Carbon Destroyer 1 will connect emitters with permanent, commercial-scale offshore CO2 storage.

Mads Weng Gade, CEO of INEOS Energy Europe, says: “Carbon destroyer one will transport captured CO2 from across Europe, creating a virtual pipeline between the point of capture and permanent storage deep beneath the seabed of the North Sea. The delivery of the first dedicated offshore CO2 carrier is a prerequisite for commercial-scale CCS across the continent.”

The vessel is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025 or early 2026, when Project Greensands is due to begin permanent commercial-scale CO₂ storage operations.

New CO₂ terminal in Esbjerg will serve as key onshore hub

The vessel will operate between the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark and the Nini West offshore platform.

In Port of Esbjerg, construction is underway on a new CO₂ terminal, which will serve as the onshore hub for receiving, storing, and loading liquefied CO₂ onto the vessel.

Once established, the terminal will include six large storage tanks and essential infrastructure to support continuous and scalable CO₂ transport to the offshore storage site.

Captured CO₂ – initially from Danish biogas plants – will be delivered to the terminal by truck, temporarily stored, and then transferred to Carbon Destroyer 1. From there, the vessel will sail to the Nini Field, where the CO₂ will be injected over 1,800 metres beneath the seabed into depleted oil reservoirs certified for safe, long-term storage.

About Greensand Future:

The companies behind Greensand are the current storage license holders (IRIS) – INEOS Energy Denmark, Harbour Energy, and Nordsøfonden, the Danish state’s subsurface company. Greensand collaborates with various 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 increase storage capacity towards 2030 gradually. 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. The Innovation Fund funds Greensand Future.

https://www.ineos.com/news/shared-news/ineos-and-royal-wagenborg-launch-the-first-european-built-offshore-co2-carrier-for-carbon-capture-and-storage/