MacGregor Advances Direct Ship-to-Well LCO Transfer

[By MacGregor]

MacGregor has developed a new Liquid Carbon Dioxide (LCO?) Bow Transfer System (BTS) to enable safe, reliable ship-to-well and ship-to-rig transfer of LCO? across a wide range of operating conditions. The system connects capture plants directly to offshore injection units, removing the need for the costly intermediate onshore storage and conditioning facilities that current standards often require.

The BTS builds on MacGregor's Bow Loading System (BLS), which has served the oil and gas sector reliably since the 1970s. Around 79% of the new system draws on field-proven technology, with the remainder comprising targeted modifications and newly engineered components designed specifically to handle the highly volatile properties of LCO?.

Seal materials for the system have been tested with research organisation SINTEF under rapid gas decompression and LCO? conditions, maintaining integrity through repeated pressure cycles and temperatures as low as -57°C, the threshold below which CO? can no longer exist in a liquid state. The system is designed to support safe, uninterrupted handling in heavy sea states with wave heights of five to six metres, and to seal against water ingress at depths of up to 150 metres.

“Our robust new design solves the challenges of securing reliable and safe connection, transfer, and disconnection in all seasons, even in severe weather, without delays or interruptions,” said Øyvind Solli, Development Programs Manager, MacGregor. “This ensures zero disruption across the value chain, directly supporting the business case for CCS projects.”

MacGregor's hardware is designed as the foundation for four distinct system architectures, spanning low- and medium-pressure (30–60 bar) and high-pressure (300 bar) direct reservoir injection via seabed swivels or disconnectable turrets — giving operators flexibility to match the system to their specific field requirements.

MacGregor joined the EU-funded COREu research and innovation consortium in early 2025 and is engaged in an ongoing technology qualification process with DNV. The company has completed the planning phase of this process — comprising a qualification basis, technology assessment, threat assessment and qualification plan — with prototype testing and demonstration expected in mid-2027.

“At this stage, we have successfully identified all risks associated with our equipment and its application for LCO? transfer,” said Solli. “DNV has formally acknowledged these findings, and together, we have established a framework for managing and mitigating the identified risks, including the specific methods required to provide the evidence for final verification.”

MacGregor will present the LCO? Bow Transfer System at ONS 2026 in Stavanger, 24–27 August, Hall 5, Stand 5540.