scope:

This document extends the range of ABS requirements for Exhaust Emission Abatement (EEA) equipment to include equipment installed to remove, process and store CO2 from exhaust emissions. Accordingly, this document has been developed to provide guidance for the design, construction, installation, and survey of machinery, equipment and systems for vessels and offshore units with Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (OCCS) equipment, focusing on wet scrubbing post-combustion technologies. ABS approval is not an endorsement of the effectiveness of the system to capture carbon.

This document is to be applied to both new construction and existing vessels and offshore units, regardless of size, including those of less than 500 tons gross tonnage.

Since the range of OCCS technologies may be broad, and may be combined with other EEA equipment, the applicable requirements will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, the intention is not to hinder application of any novel technologies or systems not prescriptively detailed herein. Systems designed for partial or full CO₂ capture will also be considered. Pre-combustion or fuel treatment technologies that remove carbon prior to combustion or use in energy converters such as internal combustion engines, boilers or fuel cells may also be considered. Systems that remove, process and store carbon in compounds other than CO₂ or use methods other than solvent-based scrubbing systems, such as membranes or cryogenic distillation, will also be considered. Solutions that have been verified to meet the objective and intent of this document will be accepted for installation on ABS vessels and offshore units. See also Subsection 2/4 regarding the approval of alternatives.

For more information on the approval of novel concepts and new technology qualification, see the ABS Guidance Notes on Review and Approval of Novel Concepts and the ABS Guidance Notes on Qualifying New Technologies.

The ABS criteria to be applied EEA equipment, including SO_x scrubbers, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) systems and Exhaust Emissions Monitoring Systems (EEMS) are detailed in Part 6, Chapter 3 of the Marine Vessel Rules.

Those Classification requirements are separate and additional to any statutory requirements that may be applicable under IMO's MARPOL Annex VI, NO_x Technical Code or associated guidelines.

Carbon capture systems are recognized as one of the carbon reduction technologies. Refer to the ABS Guide for Sustainability for SUSTAIN Notations.