A Korean public-private partnership comprising 10 maritime organisations has secured a key role in developing international safety guidelines for onboard carbon capture and storage systems (OCCS).
The partnership’s joint proposal was selected as the basis for developing interim safety guidelines at the IMO’s 12th Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 12), KR said in an emailed update today.
Led by South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the partnership includes Korean Register (KR), HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Hyundai Heavy Industries Power Systems, HI Air Korea, PANASIA and the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO).
The IMO working group also agreed to incorporate elements of a separate proposal from the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
A Correspondence Group on GHG Safety will develop the draft guidelines under Korea’s coordination and report its progress at CCC 13 in 2027.
The proposed guidelines cover the safe integration of OCCS equipment onboard ships, including CO2 handling and storage, leakage prevention, emergency response and the transfer of captured carbon ashore.
The framework will also include separate annexes addressing hazards associated with different capture technologies.
The proposal draws on experience from HMM Mongla, which was fitted with an OCCS solution in 2024 through a joint project involving HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, PANASIA and KR. Risk assessments identified 64 potential hazard scenarios to help shape the proposed safety requirements.
Finalisation and approval of the interim guidelines will be subject to further consideration by the IMO.
