UK And European Ports To Advance North Sea Carbon Shipping Corridors

Major UK and European port operators have signed agreements to explore the feasibility of captured carbon dioxide transport, storage, and infrastructure development, creating cross-border shipping routes in the North Sea, and a new carbon shipping market.

Image: ABP | CGI impression of CCS transport and storage infrastructure in a port

Associated British Ports (ABP) has signed two significant Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with LBC Tank Terminals and North Sea Port, and separately with the Port of Esbjerg during the the International North Sea Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The partners aim to build scalable, flexible Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) shipping corridors that link European emitters with permanent storage at UK North Sea sites, helping hard‑to‑abate industries cut emissions, and supporting green jobs.

At the same time, this new shipping market positions ports as key actors in industrial decarbonisation and the wider green economy, according to a press release from ABP. 

A New Growth Market For Ports

The North Sea’s geological capacity makes it a natural hub for carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage, while the UK has world-leading geological capacity, ABP said.

Using UK storage for EU emissions is expected to increase utilisation of UK infrastructure, support private investment, protect jobs, and generate UK tax revenues. 

Already, ABP has secured planning approval for a CCS handling terminal at the Port of Immingham, linked to the Viking CCS cluster, to receive shipped CO₂ for permanent storage in depleted Southern North Sea gas fields.

ABP described the Viking CCS project, centred on the Immingham Green Energy Terminal (IGET), as its most advanced CCS initiative. 

Viking CCS is framed as a cornerstone for a world‑leading CCS industry in the Humber, providing a competitive, low‑cost decarbonisation route for UK and international emitters via shipped CO₂.

A Bold Vision For Energy Transition

The MoUs are a timely step in strengthening EU‑UK cooperation following a Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) report which concluded that a pan‑European CO₂ market, including the UK, could cut storage costs by around 20% through economies of scale and proximity. 

With ports sitting “at the forefront” of the energy transition, ABP’s Chief Executive Officer, Henrik Pedersen, said the agreement will build the infrastructure and partnerships needed to decarbonise industry, and create new opportunities for sustainable growth.

“It paves the way for the UK to utilise its world-leading geological assets to provide near term options for emissions reductions across Europe and realise significant export potential for the UK,” commented Pedersen.

“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 and the jobs that rely on it at pace,” Pedersen added.

The MoUs will focus on: 

• Designing port infrastructure for CO₂ handling, storage, and shipping. 

• Building a robust value chain for CO₂ transport between ABP’s Humber ports and leading European ports and infrastructure asset owners. 

• Driving innovation and efficiencies in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) related transportation.