GTT gets $5 million to design onboard CO2 capture system

French LNG containment specialist GTT has received €4.66 million

intelligent operational performance solutions.

The funding comes from Bpifrance as part of the MerVent 2025 project, which

aims to design, build, and operate the world’s first commercial containership

with hybrid wind-assisted and synthetic fuel propulsion by 2025.

The project is a consortium of multiple organisations including ship owner

Zéphyr & Borée, wing-sail designer and manufacturer CWS, the Centrale Nantes

University with its energy optimisation research teams, OSE Engineering (a

subsidiary of GTT), and GTT itself.

GTT will be responsible for designing the CO₂ capture system, which will

aim to capture at least 30 per cent of the CO₂ emissions from alternative fuels

such as LNG, methanol, e-GNL, and bioGNL.

This will contribute to the project’s goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by at

least 50 per cent for this type of vessel.

In addition, GTT will develop intelligent operational performance solutions

to enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of the ship.

“This design of a commercial containership with hybrid wind-assisted

propulsion and synthetic fuel is the forerunner of a new generation of

carbon-free merchant ships thanks to a highly innovative ship design, a hybrid

propulsion and an on-board CO₂ capture system adapted to the alternative fuels

currently being considered by the shipping industry,” said Philippe

Berterottière, Chairman and CEO of GTT.

“We are proud to bring the know-how and experience of the GTT group to the

development of a low environmental impact containership. Our digital

intelligence subsidiary, OSE Engineering, will also play an essential role in

this project, enabling the operational optimisation of the ship’s various

propulsion systems.”

In October 2022, GTT signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement

with China Merchants Heavy Industries-Jiangsu (CMHI-Jiangsu), a subsidiary of

China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMI), enabling the yard to construct vessels

using GTT membrane technologies.

GTT and China Merchant Industry Holdings have been cooperating for a

decade, with a first Technical Service Agreement signed in 2013 for the

maintenance and repair of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.