A leading Korean public-private partnership comprising 10 maritime organizations has reached a major milestone in the development of international safety guidelines for onboard carbon capture and storage system (OCCS) after the proposal jointly developed by its members was selected as the base document for further development at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
At the IMO's 12th session of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 12), the working group agreed to use the proposal from the Korean partnership as the basis for developing interim OCCS safety guidelines, incorporating elements of a separate proposal from the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
Established in April 2026, the partnership is led by Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, with Korean Register (KR) overseeing regulatory development. Its members include HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Hyundai Heavy Industries Power Systems, HI Air Korea, PANASIA and the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO).
Drawing on the partners' operational, shipbuilding, manufacturing and research expertise, KR consolidated their technical contributions into a single regulatory proposal, which was submitted to the IMO through the Ministry.
CCC 12 also agreed to establish the Correspondence Group on GHG Safety under Korea's coordination to advance the guidelines. Joonghun Kim from KR’s Convention & Legislation Service Team has been named coordinator of the group and will bring together contributions from IMO Member States and international organizations to develop common safety requirements, with technology-specific annexes to be considered if time permits. The group will report its progress to CCC 13 in 2027.
Kyung-bok Kim, Executive Vice President of KR, said: “The practical experience, knowledge and expertise of the entire 10-member partnership have led to an important milestone in the development of OCCS safety standards at an IMO level. Our next step is to bring contributions from Member States and international organizations together to develop workable safety requirements.
“By leading the development of OCCS standards, Korea is leading the charge in the global decarbonization of the maritime industry, helping to ensure that safe, workable OCCS solutions become a practical reality for vessels worldwide,” he added.
The proposal builds on Korea's multi-year OCCS development work, including raising safety concerns about the location of onboard CO₂ storage tanks in 2023 and proposing initial safety guidelines in 2024.
It also draws on technical assessments and operational experience associated with HMM Mongla, which was fitted with an OCCS solution in 2024 as part of a joint project involving HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, PANASIA and KR. Ongoing risk assessments based on the vessel's OCCS design identified 64 hazard scenarios, helping to inform the development of practical shipboard safety requirements.
The proposed guidelines address how OCCS equipment can be safely integrated with a vessel's structure, layout and machinery systems. They cover practical safety considerations including CO₂ handling and storage, leakage prevention, emergency response and the safe transfer of captured carbon ashore. These requirements are intended to address not only the capture equipment itself, but also its interaction with other onboard systems and day-to-day vessel operations.
The framework retains a technology-neutral main body covering common safety requirements, alongside separate annexes addressing hazards specific to different OCCS technologies. This approach allows different capture methods, including chemical absorption, membrane separation and mineralization, to be considered without favoring a particular technology, while enabling requirements to evolve as further evidence becomes available.
Speaking about the importance of reflecting real-world operational experience in the proposed guidelines, members of the Korean partnership highlighted the need for practical standards that reflect the realities of running OCCS systems at sea.
Youngsun Kim, Senior Vice President, Director of Technology & Innovation Institute, HMM Co., Ltd., said: “Shipowners need standards covering safe operation, maintenance and offloading, not capture performance alone. It was important to be able to reflect actual operating conditions from an early stage of international guideline development.”
Ho-ki Lee, Vice President at Samsung Heavy Industries, said: “At CCC 12, we saw growing consensus around onboard carbon capture as a practical option for decarbonizing shipping. Drawing on our experience in shipbuilding and OCCS demonstration, we will contribute to international safety guidelines that enable carbon capture systems to operate safely and efficiently on board ships.”
Yoon-Sik Hwang, Vice President at Hanwha Ocean, said: “This joint proposal is particularly meaningful because it brings together expertise from shipbuilding, shipping, marine equipment and classification. Hanwha Ocean will continue contributing to the development of international safety guidelines, drawing on its demonstration experience and technical capabilities to accelerate the commercialization of onboard carbon capture technology.”
Sangmin Park, Senior Vice President at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said: “The acceptance of the Korean-led proposal on interim OCCS safety guidelines is a meaningful achievement towards the commercialization of onboard carbon capture technology. Drawing on the experience accumulated through OCCS technology development, HDKSOE will contribute to international safety guidelines to support the safe application of OCCS on ships.”
Jeongsu Seo, Executive Director at HI AIR KOREA, said: “Safety functions must be capable of being tested and verified in the field. Drawing on our experience in developing and demonstrating mineralization-based capture technology, we will contribute to practical safety standards for both newbuildings and retrofits by linking that experience to leak detection and emergency shutdown requirements.”
The Correspondence Group on GHG Safety will continue developing the draft guidelines ahead of CCC 13 in 2027, drawing on contributions from Member States and international organizations.
The Korean partnership will support this work by contributing its members’ design, manufacturing and operating experience to the development of practical shipboard safety requirements. Finalization and approval of the interim guidelines will be subject to further consideration by the IMO.
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