UK and Europe ports agree to study CCS, shipping and infrastructure

Port of Immingham-UK

UK and European ports are to study the potential of carbon capture and storage shipping corridors between the UK and continental Europe.

Two memoranda of understanding have been signed involving Associated British Ports, LBC Tank Terminals, North Sea Port and the Port of Esbjerg, and coincide with the Hamburg Declaration which seeks to boost cross-border clean energy development.

Those involved will explore designing port infrastructure for carbon dioxide handling, storage and shipping, as well as building a robust value chain for CO₂ transport between ABP’s Humber ports and European ports and infrastructure asset owners. The question of how best to drive innovation and efficiencies in CCUS-related transport will also be explored.

Shipping captured CO2 is a vital step towards decarbonising energy generation and heavy industry, safeguarding and creating thousands of high-value jobs and creating a market for a new energy commodity, which opens the way to lower costs.

The UK has plenty of geological capacity for storing captured carbon and ABP has already achieved planning approval for a CCS handling terminal at the Port of Immingham, linked to the Viking CCS cluster.

LBC’s operational expertise and strategic infrastructure make it well positioned for the supply chain for captured CO₂, including temporary storage, processing, and shipment.

North Sea Port comprises a wide variety of industries, all looking into different decarbonisation routes, among them CCS. The port area in Vlissingen is a strategic location to both receive captured CO2 from diverse off-grid locations and trans-ship it onto vessels for transport and storage offshore.

The Port of Esbjerg is central to the Greensand CCS project, which aims to establish the EU’s first full CCS value chain. Construction began in May 2025 on a CO₂ transit terminal at Esbjerg, featuring six large tanks (each  about 1,000 tonnes capacity) for liquefied CO₂.

This terminal will serve as a logistics hub for captured CO₂ from Danish biogas plants, which will be shipped to the Danish North Sea for permanent storage.

Henrik Pedersen, CEO of ABP, said ports were at the forefront of the energy transition.

“This agreement is about building the infrastructure and partnerships needed to decarbonise industry and create new opportunities for sustainable growth. This is not just about reducing emissions – it’s about creating a new market for carbon shipping that will help Europe meet its climate goals and secure industrial competitiveness … at pace.”

Olivia Powis, CEO of trade body the CCSA, said the tie-ups were a significant step in strengthening cross-border cooperation among European ports, enabling all partners involved to benefit from about a 20% cost saving on CO2 transport & storage, as a result of deepened EU–UK ties.

source: gasworld.com