() International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing over 80% of the world’s fleet through its 40 national shipowner associations, is the umbrella trade association for shipowners worldwide. Within recent ICS Marine Committee discussions, the need for an independent, evidence-based OCCS study was identified by member associations as a priority area to support future decision-making. The overall objective is to deliver a thorough, up-to-date, and impartial analysis of the feasibility, costs, benefits, and challenges of deploying OCCS technologies across different vessel types and operating profiles.
The decarbonisation of international shipping is entering a decisive period, driven by increasingly stringent climate-policy frameworks, accelerating regulatory developments, and rising expectations from charterers, financiers, and cargo owners. While low- and zero-carbon fuels are expected to play a central role in achieving the sector’s long-term climate objectives, their large-scale availability, cost, and infrastructure readiness remain uncertain in the near to medium term. Against this backdrop, Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) is emerging as a technically credible and potentially impactful transitional solution, capable of mitigating CO₂ emissions from vessels that will continue operating on conventional or transitional fuels throughout the 2030s.
This report presents a comprehensive appraisal of the current state of OCCS across all major technology families of pre-combustion and post-combustion, like membrane-based, cryogenic, and mineralisationbased pathways. It evaluates their Technology and Commercial Readiness Levels (/CRLs), integration complexity, space and stability impacts, energy demand, storage requirements, and compatibility with the operational profiles of different vessel segments. It also synthesises findings from existing and emerging pilot projects and demonstrators, providing real-world insight into performance, reliability, and value-chain interactions.
The study further examines the downstream dimension of OCCS, including port-side carbon offloading options, emerging cross-border carbon transport systems, evolving industrial utilisation markets, and the readiness of geological sequestration networks.
As regulatory clarity is one of the most critical enablers for OCCS adoption, the report includes an in-depth review of the current and developing frameworks under the IMO, EU, and key national jurisdictions highlighting areas of alignment, gaps, and the implications for compliance under future market-based measures and lifecycle-based fuel standards.
Overall, this report aims to provide shipowners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders with a neutral, technically robust, and strategically oriented foundation for decision-making. It highlights where OCCS offers realistic abatement potential in the near term, where its applicability is constrained, and what enabling conditions (i.e technological, regulatory, and infrastructural) must evolve for OCCS to play a meaningful role in supporting the maritime sector’s transition toward net-zero emissions.
Source: International Chamber of Shipping
