Northern Purpose has arrived in Norway, completing the four-vessel fleet that Northern Lights will use for its Phase 1 carbon dioxide (CO₂) transport and storage operations.
The liquefied CO₂ carrier joins sister vessels Northern Pioneer, Northern Pathfinder and Northern Phoenix, giving the company the transport capacity needed to support growing customer demand for carbon capture and storage (CCS) services across Europe.
“With the arrival of Northern Purpose, we have completed the vessel fleet required for Phase 1 operations. This is an important milestone for Northern Lights to ensure reliable and flexible CO₂ transport and storage services to our customers across Europe,” said Tim Heijn, Managing Director of Northern Lights JV.
The vessel was built by Dalian Shipbuilding Offshore Company (DSOC) in China and sailed from Asia to Norway following its delivery.
Northern Lights said dedicated CO₂ carriers are central to its transport model, allowing captured emissions from industrial sites across Europe to be shipped to permanent offshore storage facilities in Norway. The company currently operates what it describes as the world’s largest dedicated commercial CO₂ shipping fleet.
The company is also preparing for its Phase 2 expansion, which will increase transport capacity with the introduction of larger CO₂ carriers from 2028.
Northern Lights began injecting liquefied CO₂ for permanent storage in August 2025. Captured CO₂ is transported by ship to the company’s receiving terminal in western Norway before being sent by pipeline to a storage reservoir around 2,600 metres beneath the seabed.
The Northern Lights JV, owned by Equinor, TotalEnergies and Shell, is part of Norway’s Longship carbon capture and storage project. In addition to serving Norwegian industrial customers, the company has signed commercial agreements with Yara in the Netherlands, Ørsted in Denmark, Stockholm Exergi in Sweden and Inherit in Norway.
