CO2 Tanker Careers: The Emerging Maritime Role You've Probably Not Considered Yet

A New Trade, a New Fleet, and Not Enough Experienced Crew to Fill It

The first commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) shipping operation in the world, Northern Lights in Norway, began regular CO2 transport in 2024. BIMCO published CO2TIME 2026 in May 2026 — the first dedicated standard time charter party for liquefied CO2 transport — a signal that the trade has matured enough to need its own contract framework. The global pipeline of CCS projects requiring maritime CO2 transport is growing.

The supply of seafarers who understand LCO2 (liquefied carbon dioxide) vessel operations is extremely limited. That gap is an opportunity — but it needs to be understood clearly before acting on it.

What CO2 Transport Actually Involves

Liquefied CO2 is transported at approximately -25°C and 20 bar pressure — conditions that place it in the category of liquefied gas tanker operation, similar in principle (though not identical) to LPG transport. CO2 carriers are purpose-built pressurised vessels, typically smaller than LNG carriers but operated under the same gas tanker regulatory framework.

The current CO2 carrier fleet consists largely of vessels adapted from LPG carriers or purpose-built for the CCS trade. Ships in operation include those used by Northern Lights JV in Norway, operated by Knutsen OAS Shipping on behalf of the JV partners (Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies). These vessels transport CO2 captured from industrial sources in Belgium and Denmark to the Sleipner and Eos reservoir formation under the North Sea seabed.

The operational demands on crew involve:

• Cargo management of pressurised liquefied gas at sub-zero temperatures
• Tank pressure and temperature monitoring throughout loading, passage, and discharge
• Regasification handling during injection at the offshore terminal
• Emergency response for CO2 leak scenarios — CO2 is an asphyxiant, not flammable, which changes the emergency response profile compared to LPG or LNG
• Compatibility management: CO2 is an industrial product with specific impurity tolerances that affect injection compatibility — cargo specification knowledge is required

The BIMCO CO2TIME 2026 Charter Party

The publication of CO2TIME 2026 by BIMCO is a significant marker of the trade’s commercial maturity. BIMCO produces standard form contracts for well-established trades — SHELLTIME for oil tankers, GASVOY and GASTIME for gas carriers, BARECON for bareboat charters. CO2TIME is the trade’s equivalent for liquefied CO2 time charters.

For seafarers, the existence of a dedicated charter form matters because it signals that operators, insurers, and cargo interests are committing to the trade as a long-term commercial activity rather than a pilot project. When BIMCO writes a standard form contract for a trade, that trade has reached commercial scale.

Which Companies Are Building CO2 Fleets

Northern Lights JV (Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies)

The world’s first commercial CCS transport operation. Vessels operated by Knutsen OAS Shipping. The first phase uses two purpose-built CO2 carriers; expansion phases are planned as capture facilities across Europe connect to the Eos storage site. website: northernlightsccs.com