STAX Engineering recently said it is participating in a consortium that secured GBP 1.1 million (USD 1.5 million) in government funding led by carbon capture startup Seabound for its first major European project. 

The maritime emissions capture and control pioneer has been awarded the grant through the UK Department for Transport’s sixth round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC6) as part of “PortZero,” a four-company consortium with Seabound, port operator Associated British Ports (ABP), and Lomar Shipping.

The PortZero project—”Enabling Zero-Emission Ports via Carbon and Air Pollution Capture from Berthed Vessels”—tackles one of the maritime industry’s most pressing challenges – decarbonising port operations while improving air quality in port communities. 

By integrating Seabound’s carbon capture technology onto STAX’s proven emissions capture and control barge, the project will demonstrate how ports can achieve comprehensive emissions reductions without costly vessel retrofits or new infrastructure investments. 

The solution provides a practical, cost-effective alternative to shore power installations, which require significant upfront capital, aren’t viable for all vessel types, and remain largely unbuilt—with major European ports having installed or commissioned only 20% required by EU regulations.

“This project validates what we’ve known for years—ports need emissions solutions that work today without the infrastructure disruptions caused by solutions like shore power,” said Mike Walker, CEO of STAX Engineering. 

“The UK government’s investment in PortZero proves there’s real demand for technology that delivers immediate results without forcing ports to choose between operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. Our message is simple: clean air can’t wait, and with this technology, it doesn’t have to.”

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition is designed to accelerate the development of clean maritime technologies and infrastructure in the UK. Funded through the UK Government’s £236 million UK SHORE (Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions) programme and delivered by Innovate UK, CMDC6 committed more than £30 million across 71 projects focused on maritime decarbonization and smart shipping.

“Sustainability and innovation are key themes as ABP helps its customers to adapt to the changing environment” said Max Harris, Head of Strategy and Sustainability at Associated British Ports. “We are excited to explore the potential of this innovative solution as we pursue ever better air quality at our ports and support maritime decarbonisation”.

STAX and Seabound offer the first fully integrated emissions solution that is immediate, requiring no retrofits or expensive overhauls. STAX’s mobile barge captures up to 99% of particulate matter (PM) and 95% of nitrogen oxides (NOx), while Seabound’s unit isolates and stores up to 95% of carbon dioxide and 90% of sulfur emissions. The system will debut at ABP’s Southampton port with vessels from UK-based Lomar Shipping.

PortZero expands upon the successful Carbon Capture Showcase from April 2025, where the combined STAX-Seabound solution was first debuted and highlights collaboration with ABP, demonstrating growing momentum for addressing port emissions globally.

Photo credit: STAX Engineering
Published: 22 August, 2025

Singapore-based dry bulk owner Berge Bulk on Wednesday (7 May) said it has completed the installation of a carbon capture system on board its 63,000 DWT Ultramax vessel Berge Yotei.

The system, developed by Value Maritime, integrates carbon capture into an exhaust gas cleaning system known as the Filtree System. It is designed to capture up to 15 tonnes of CO₂ per day, representing a potential 30% reduction in emissions during operations.

Unlike conventional scrubbers, the Filtree System removes both sulphur oxides and CO₂ from a vessel’s exhaust. CO₂ is absorbed into a reusable amine solution, which can be offloaded in port for regeneration or reuse. Potential applications include use in greenhouses, beverage production, and other industrial processes — contributing to a more circular carbon economy.

“Carbon capture is a key pillar of our decarbonisation strategy. While we remain committed to optimising fleet efficiency, installing decarbonisation technology, and switching to new fuels, we must also capture carbon at the same time.” said James Marshall, CEO of Berge Bulk. 

“We’ve been actively capturing carbon through nature-based solutions on shore for many years, now it’s time to also start capturing carbon on board.”

As the industry looks to decarbonise, Berge Bulk emphasised the need for collaboration across governments, ports, technology providers, and regulators to develop the infrastructure, protocols, and commercial models needed to support carbon capture at scale.

Photo credit: Berge Bulk
Published: 9 May, 2025

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Tuesday (6 May) released its latest report on a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) quantifying Carbon Capture and Storage’s (OCCS) potential to provide GHG emissions savings.

The study, named COLOSSUS (Carbon capture, offloading, onshore storage, utilisation and permanent storage), provides an in-depth analysis of GHG emissions and costs associated with OCCS across the entire carbon value chain, accounting for emissions from fuel production, transport and use, to CO2 capture onboard the vessel and its final disposition.

GCMD said LCAs facilitate an equivalent comparison of different decarbonisation measures; this comparison can help shipowners make informed decisions on solutions adoption based on their net abatement impact across the entire carbon value chain. This holistic quantification of emissions ensures that OCCS adoption does not lead to inadvertent increases in emissions in adjacent sectors because of decisions made downstream.

“While LCAs are available for onshore carbon capture technologies in themselves, assessments of the overall GHG emissions from deploying these solutions onboard vessels across the associated value chains are limited,” it added.

A full assessment would require the inclusion of the well-to- tank (WtT) emissions of the fuel, onboard tank-to-wake (TtW) emissions, including those associated with OCCS operations, the subsequent emissions from transporting captured CO2, and those associated with permanent storage or its utilisation.

What this study considers

The study used a WtW GHG emissions of 93.3 gCO2eq/MJ for Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) as a baseline for comparison against other scenarios. This study explored five OCCS technologies, with six marine fuel options, and three post-capture scenarios. Among OCCS technologies, the study examined different post-capture scenarios with conventional monoethanolamine (MEA)- based OCCS, with it being the most mature of the OCCS technologies in the industry. Based on the practical limitations of storing large quantities of liquid CO2 onboard vessels, the study further assumed a 40% gross carbon capture for all scenarios explored, consistent with industry recommendations.

Key findings

Notably, the deployment of conventional MEA-based OCCS can result in a WtW GHG emissions savings of 29% for an HFO-fuelled ship.

Replacing HFO with biofuels presents a promising strategy for maximising GHG emissions savings. The WtW emissions savings for a vessel deploying MEA-based OCCS range from 69% to 121% when using bio-LNG and biodiesel from used cooking oil, respectively.

Among the post-capture scenarios evaluated, fixing the captured CO2 in concrete is most effective. This approach can increase GHG emissions savings from 29% to 60% across the carbon value chain by partially displacing the need for carbon-intensive cement in applications Ashore.

Post-capture transport and permanent storage of CO2 add minimal emissions, approximately 1% to the WtW emissions of a vessel deploying MEA-based OCCS when the captured CO2 is transported 1,000 km.

Captured CO2 can also be used to produce e-methanol with renewable electricity, allowing the vessel that consumes this e-methanol to claim a 17% GHG emissions savings.

The cost of avoided carbon for OCCS with permanent storage is between USD 269-405/tCO2 for a 40% gross capture on an MR tanker, considering a full-scale, Nth-of-a-kind installation of an OCCS system with full heat recovery.

Note: The full statement by GCMD can be found here while the full study findings can be found here.

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 6 May, 2025