Climate technology company Bennu Climate and maritime innovation venture catalyst lomarlabs have launched the first extended at-sea trial of a system designed to remove methane during normal ship operations.
The 12-month pilot on a Lomar supramax (57,000-dwt) bulk carrier will test Bennu’s compact device that permanently eliminates fugitive methane emissions.
The system uses advanced photochemistry to destroy methane molecules before they can trap heat in the atmosphere.
“This pilot represents a paradigm shift for our industry. We are putting technology on ships not only to cut their own emissions but to actively remove excess greenhouse gas from the atmosphere as they sail,” said Stylianos Papageorgiou, managing director of lomarlabs. “We’re proud to back innovators like Bennu who turn bold ideas into real-world climate tools.”
From Lab to Ocean: A Genuine World First
The Bennu system is the first of its kind to be deployed on a vessel that is navigating normal trading conditions and undergoing commercial operations. Roughly one cubic metre in size, the 50kg unit can be installed in a single day and does not affect the vessel’s normal operation.
Bennu’s technology introduces a key advantage: A multi-application approach that removes fugitive methane as the ship navigates and a configuration that eliminates residual methane (methane slip) in exhaust gases from dual-fuel engines when running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The new deployment builds on Bennu’s earlier dock side tests, conducted in 2024, where the company first demonstrated its UV-based methane destruction technology on a Lomar vessel while in port.
“Nothing can turn back the climate clock faster than methane removal,” said Bennu co-founder and CEO David Henkel-Wallace. “Bennu’s innovation has the potential to reduce shipping companies' costs and regulatory taxes while playing a critical role in the industry’s efforts to reduce its climate impact.”
New Regulations and LNG Methane Slip
Methane is the second-largest driver of human-caused warming, with a short-term warming potential up to 86 times greater than carbon dioxide. Though shipping contributes a small share of global methane, methane slip from LNG-powered vessels is an emerging climate challenge. With around 1,000 LNG ships already in operation and the adoption of this fuel accelerating, Bennu’s technology offers a new way to meaningfully reduce methane emissions where they occur.
Bennu’s system is in the process of gaining carbon credit certification from Gold Standard, the internationally-recognised programme that empowers governments, businesses and enterprises to take climate actions that deliver impact for people and nature.
The latest pilot on a Lomar vessel comes as countries and trading blocs have prioritised methane reductions across industries. From 2025, for example, shipowners must report verified methane slip under FuelEU Maritime and the EU MRV framework. From 2026, methane will enter the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which requires owners to pay allowances not only for carbon dioxide but also for methane and nitrogen oxide emissions.
So, by using the Bennu technology to reduce both the emissions and the allowances paid by owners, vessels become more commercially attractive to charterers while also positively slowing down climate change.
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