MHI, SBM Offshore partner on carbon capture

A floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit. SBM Offshore and MHI have signed a partnership agreement to develop FPSO CO2 capture technology for FPSOs. (Image: SBM Offshore)

SBM Offshore and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) plan to offer a CO2 capture solution for Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSO) as they are producing oil and gas from offshore reservoirs.

The agreement follows a successful engineering and design study between the companies demonstrating the technical feasibility and commercial readiness of CO2 capture technology offshore. The CO2 capture solution will apply MHI’s proprietary Advanced KM CDR Process technology, jointly developed with The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

The companies said the technology enables significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions from FPSOs by capturing CO2 from onboard gas turbines. It is estimated that the CO2 capture technology can reduce CO2 emissions from overall FPSO operations by up to 70%.

The solution is being developed as part of SBM Offshore’s emissionZERO® program and is based on a combination of MHI’s proprietary CO2 capture technology and SBM Offshore’s industry leading Fast4ward principles.

The companies expect demand for the decarbonization of FPSO operations to increase rapidly. Through this collaboration, the companies will aim to open the door to offshore CO2 capture and storage development, making a concrete contribution to carbon neutrality efforts.

“The signing of this Partnership Agreement marks a key development within our emissionZERO® program, whose goal is to provide FPSOs with near-zero emissions,” said Olivier Icyk, Managing Director of Floating Production Solutions at SBM Offshore. “The technology, which we are now able to offer clients, is an essential solution to substantially reduce the carbon footprint of our FPSOs. We are pleased to partner up with MHI, a top player whose carbon capture technology perfectly complements our leading experience in floating energy solutions.”