Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) has secured €4.66m in funding from Bpifrance to design an on-board CO₂ capture system as part of the MerVent 2025 project.
The funding will also be used to develop intelligent operational performance solutions.
The MerVent 2025 project’s objective is ‘to design, build and operate the first commercial container ship with hybrid wind-assisted and synthetic fuel propulsion by 2025’.
The project’s consortium consists of shipowner Zéphyr & Borée, wing-sails designer and manufacturer CWS, and research teams at the Centrale Nantes University that specialise in energy optimisation.
It also includes Ose Engineering, a GTT group subsidiary, who will be responsible for the design of intelligent operational performance solutions.
Within the framework of the project, GTT is engaged in the development of the on-board capture technology solution, which will capture at least 30% of CO₂ emissions from alternative fuels, helping to reduce CO₂ emissions by at least 50% for this type of vessel.
The alternative fuel can be liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, e-LNG and bioLNG.
GTT chairman and CEO Philippe Berterottière said: “This design of a commercial container ship with hybrid wind-assisted propulsion and synthetic fuel is the forerunner of a new generation of carbon-free merchant ships thanks to a highly innovative ship design, a hybrid propulsion and an on-board CO₂ capture system adapted to the alternative fuels currently being considered by the shipping industry.
“We are proud to bring the know-how and experience of the GTT group to the development of a low environmental impact container ship.”
Last month, GTT won a contract from South Korea’s Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries to design tanks for two LNG carriers,
