A new report indicates up to 60 European ports need adaptation to facilitate non-pipeline CO2 transport, highlighting a shifting focus on maritime solutions to decarbonise industry.
Up to 60 European ports could be adapted by 2050 to handle captured carbon dioxide for offshore storage, according to a new report that points to non-pipeline transport as a crucial link in the continent’s emerging CO2 logistics chain.
The finding underlines a growing shift in thinking around carbon capture and storage infrastructure. While pipelines remain the most mature option for moving large volumes of CO2, the report suggests that ships, barges and other non-pipeline routes will be essential if industrial emitters are to connect with storage sites beyond existing network corridors.
That view is reinforced by a 2024 study by Lloyd’s Register, the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and Arup, which found that a shortage of suitable port infrastructure remains one of the biggest obstacles to onboard carbon capture and storage systems. The study said some ports can already offload liquefied CO2, but much of that capacity is designed for food-grade gas rather than the stricter operational demands of captured industrial CO2.
The implication is that ports will need purpose-built facilities if Europe is to scale shipping-based CO2 transport. Storage tanks, transfer systems and safety arrangements would all have to be upgraded to handle larger, more varied and potentially more complex CO2 streams.
The issue is becoming more pressing as the region’s first major CO2 transport and storage projects move ahead. In Rotterdam, the Porthos scheme is building infrastructure to move industrial emissions to depleted North Sea gas fields, a project widely seen as a foundation for later CCS developments in north-west Europe. The CO2next terminal, also in Rotterdam, is being developed as an open-access liquid CO2 storage and transport hub, with an initial capacity of 5.4 million tonnes a year and scope to expand further.
Even so, the legal framework for shipping CO2 across borders remains unsettled. A 2024 study in Frontiers in Marine Science said transboundary CO2 transport by ship still faces major regulatory barriers in both international and EU law, adding another layer of complexity to the push for wider deployment.
Taken together, the findings suggest Europe is likely to need both more physical infrastructure and clearer rules if it wants to turn ports into reliable gateways for carbon storage. For industrial decarbonisation, the message is straightforward: capture technology alone will not be enough unless the transport chain can keep pace.
- https://carbon-pulse.com/522476/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.lr.org/en/knowledge/research-reports/2024/concept-study-to-offload-onboard-captured-co2/ – A 2024 report by Lloyd’s Register, the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), and Arup highlights that the lack of suitable port infrastructure is a significant barrier to the adoption of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) systems. The study found that while some ports have the infrastructure to offload liquefied CO₂, these facilities are primarily designed for food-grade CO₂, limiting their interoperability for handling onboard captured CO₂. The report underscores the need for ports to develop infrastructure capable of safely offloading and storing captured CO₂ to facilitate the widespread implementation of OCCS technologies.
- https://www.worldports.org/porthos-lays-foundations-for-future-european-carbon-capture-storage-projects/ – The Porthos Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in Rotterdam is laying the groundwork for future European CCS initiatives. Porthos is developing infrastructure to transport CO₂ from industrial sources in Rotterdam to depleted gas fields under the North Sea. This project is the first of its scale in the European Union and aims to establish a foundation for subsequent CCS projects in north-west Europe, demonstrating the potential for large-scale CO₂ transport and storage solutions.
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1423962/full – A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Marine Science examines the regulatory challenges associated with the transboundary transportation of CO₂ streams by ships. The research identifies significant barriers in international and EU law that hinder the scaling up of carbon capture and sub-seabed storage. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive legal frameworks to facilitate the safe and efficient transport of captured CO₂ across borders, which is crucial for the widespread adoption of carbon capture and storage technologies.
- https://swzmaritime.nl/news/2024/03/22/ports-are-not-ready-to-handle-onboard-captured-carbon/ – A 2024 study commissioned by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register and ARUP, identifies low port readiness as a major obstacle to the large-scale commercialisation of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) systems. The study found that while some ports have the infrastructure to offload liquefied CO₂, these facilities are primarily designed for food-grade CO₂, limiting their interoperability for handling onboard captured CO₂. The report underscores the need for ports to develop infrastructure capable of safely offloading and storing captured CO₂ to facilitate the widespread implementation of OCCS technologies.
- https://www.group.sener/en/noticias/sener-llevara-a-cabo-servicios-de-ingenieria-para-co2next-uno-de-los-primeros-terminales-europeos-de-almacenamiento-y-transporte-de-co2-liquido-en-el-puerto-de-roterdam/ – Sener has been awarded the front-end engineering design (FEED) services for the development of CO₂next, an open-access liquid CO₂ storage and transport terminal in the Port of Rotterdam. The terminal, a project by Gasunie, Vopak, Shell, and TotalEnergies, will have an initial capacity of approximately 5.4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of CO₂ and 48,000 cubic metres of storage, with potential to scale up to 15 Mtpa. This project represents one of the first European terminals for the storage and transport of liquid CO₂, highlighting the growing infrastructure for CO₂ capture and storage in Europe.
- https://www.marinelink.com/news/ports-not-ready-offloading-co-captured-512372 – A 2024 study commissioned by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register and ARUP, identifies low port readiness as a major obstacle to the large-scale commercialisation of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) systems. The study found that while some ports have the infrastructure to offload liquefied CO₂, these facilities are primarily designed for food-grade CO₂, limiting their interoperability for handling onboard captured CO₂. The report underscores the need for ports to develop infrastructure capable of safely offloading and storing captured CO₂ to facilitate the widespread implementation of OCCS technologies.
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Notes:
The article was published on June 16, 2026, and reports on a study released on the same date. The study’s findings are consistent with previous reports from 2024, which identified low port readiness as a barrier to onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) adoption. [lr.org](https://www.lr.org/en/knowledge/press-room/press-listing/press-release/2024/landmark-study-on-offloading-onboard-captured-carbon-dioxide-identifies-low-port-readiness-as-key-barrier-to-large-scale-commercialisation/?utm_source=openai)
