Ships, not pipes, for CO2 ocean burial

Danish shipping and oil company A.P. Moller-Maersk is investigating whether sea vessels can transport greenhouse gases for underwater storage more efficiently and more cheaply than pipes.

The company made the announcement at a climate change conference in Copenhagen, according to the New York Times.

A.P. Moller-Maersk proposed that 15 vessels could each carry 20,000 cubic meters of greenhouse gases from Denmark to the North Sea, starting within two years. While the intent is to bury greenhouse gases deep in the ocean, the company could also use carbon dioxide to improve oil recovery underwater.

The company didn't address the environmental implications of deepwater injections of carbon dioxide. A government-backed project in Canada by Houston-based Spectra Energy said in May it was researching whether deep underground saline reservoirs were appropriate for carbon capture and storage (see Spectra Energy looking at carbon capture in Canada). 

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a mathematical formula to estimate the underground storage capacity for carbon sequestered from power plants (see MIT unlocking carbon capture and storage).

A.P. Moller-Maersk says it has expertise for the carbon capture and sequestration through two divisions: Maersk Tankers, which transports liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas on carrier ships; and Maersk Oil, which operates wells in the North Sea.

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