Ålesund, Norway, 26 March 2025 – A Norwegian consortium has teamed up to develop a new solution for decarbonizing maritime transport by capturing and storing CO2 from LNG-fuelled Solide Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power trains.
The project is called LNGameChanger and is led by maritime technology supplier HAV Group, plus coastal cruise operator Havila Voyages, natural gas company Molgas Norway (formerly Gasnor), and research institution SINTEF.
The potentially game-changing research project was unveiled Wednesday at a press conference in Ålesund, Norway, held on board Havila Voyages’ coastal cruise ship Havila Capella.
“The LNGameChanger project aims to create the basis of a new product in form of a low-or zero-emission solution for the maritime industry, strongly positioned for a growing LNG market and infrastructure with superior efficiency to alternative solutions. If this objective is achieved, LNG can become not only a transitional fuel, but a permanently viable option in low-emission maritime transport, alongside for example hydrogen,” says Gunnar Larsen, CEO of HAV Group.
Given a successful outcome of LNGameChanger, project owner HAV Group has a clear ambition to further mature the solution towards commercialization and include it in the company’s growing portfolio of low-and zero-emission solutions to the maritime sector.
Project objectives
The LNGameChanger project’s primary objective is to design an innovative, decarbonized maritime LNG-fuelled power train combining solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and high-efficiency onboard CO2 liquefaction and storage, resulting in a CO2-equivalent intensity between the 2045 and 2050 emission limits.
Secondary objectives are to confirm energy efficiency and emission targets for the SOFC power train with CO2 capture in stand-alone mode. The project also aims to establish a user case with a vessel design and relevant operational profile to extract load profile characteristics and perform voyage simulations for the vessel in study. The user case may be Havila Voyages’ four coastal cruise ships. The performance of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power train integrated with the onboard CO2 capture and storage (OCCS) will be determined. It will also evaluate overall space and weight requirements and adaptability for marine applications.
Havila Voyages’ four coastal cruise ships all use LNG as fuel in combination with battery power today. As one of Norway’s leading shipowners when it comes to innovative green shipping, the company takes great interest in the LNGameChanger project.
“We have clear ambitions to move towards carbon neutrality and eventually zero emissions, and that can be done with our current fleet. This project is of great interest for us as our main power source today is LNG. We are eagerly awaiting the results and possibilities that lay ahead,” says Bent Martini, CEO of Havila Voyages.
“To be able to meet future requirements and reach the goals for a greener future, we cannot lock ourselves in one direction. We have to investigate the possibilities available to find the best solution, both for the environment and from a business perspective.”
LNG distribution
In addition to the required onboard processes, LNGameChanger will also address the infrastructure needs related to decentralized CO2 collection and transport in port. This includes the potential for combining this logistically with LNG distribution.
“This technology could provide a clear pathway for large scale, low emission solution that leverages well known and robust supply chain of energy to hard to abate sectors. Molgas Energy supports developments that aims to reduce emissions based on available technology and product availability,” says Anders Torp Rød, managing director at Molgas Norway, which is a leading buyer, distributor and seller of natural gas to industrial and marine sectors in Norway.
Significant market potential
International shipping carries around 80 percent of traded goods and accounts for around three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. While LNG only accounts for about four percent of the fuel supply, the number of LNG-powered ships is predicted to increase substantially as global shipping is embarking on a fuel technology transition.
According to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insights (AFI) platform, the number of LNG-fuelled ships in operation doubled between 2021 and 2024, with a record number of deliveries (169) in 2024. By the end of 2024, 641 LNG-powered ships were in operation. According to the orderbook, this number is expected to double by the end of the decade.
“It is also worth remembering that between 2024 and 2026, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is gradually extended to include emissions in the maritime transport sector, and from 2025 the FuelEU Maritime regulation has entered into force. This gives extra incentives for the development and deployment of technologies for reducing or eliminating maritime CO2 emissions,” adds Gunnar Larsen.
Financial and scientific support
The Norwegian Research Council has awarded LNGameChanger a grant of approximately NOK 5 million over the project’s two-year duration, providing ground for research activities by SINTEF. The project partners – HAV Group, Havila Voyages and Molgas Norway – will be actively involved in the project execution. For HAV Group, this includes involving technical experts for ship and systems integration, regulatory compliance and risk assessment as well as overall project management.
The first step of the LNGameChanger project is to conduct necessary feasibility studies and simulations to define the readiness to take the decarbonized SOFC power train solution to a subsequent prototype demonstration level in a successor project.
"We are excited to be a part of this project. SINTEF is involved in a growing portfolio of projects that focus on different solutions for decarbonization of the maritime industry. A low-to-zero-emission concept that combines an established maritime fuel with innovative CO2 capture technology is a promising solution that can be applied to many different vessel types," says David Berstad, researcher at SINTEF
(ENDS)
For more information, please contact:
Gunnar Larsen, CEO of HAV Group
gunnar.larsen@havgroup.no
+47 901 05 694
About HAV Group | www.havgroup.no
HAV Group and its subsidiaries (together: “HAV Group”) is an international provider of technology and services for maritime and marine industries. HAV Group has several decades of industry experience, in addition to special expertise in guiding the marine and maritime industries through the green shift and towards the goal of zero emissions. HAV Group ASA is listed on Euronext Growth under the ticker code HAV.
About Havila Voyages | www.havilavoyages.com
Havila Voyages is a Norwegian shipping company that operates the classic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes with the Norwegian coast's most environmentally friendly ships.
The four new ships are loaded with one the world's largest battery pack ever installed on passenger ships and can sail for up to four hours without noise or emissions through vulnerable areas. The batteries are charged with clean hydropower at shore, and when the batteries are low we switch to natural gas. Our plug-in hybrid operations cuts CO2 by around 35 % compared to similar ships powered by heavy fuel oils.
The hull is specially designed for maximum energy efficiency and to withstand the harsh conditions of the Norwegian coastline. Excess heat from cooling water and sea are used for heating on board. On the menu you will find locally made dishes from local producers, and all unnecessary plastic is avoided. We are already exceeding the authorities' requirements for cutting emission, and we have set sail with zero emissions as the future target.
Havila Voyages is part of the Havila Group that dates back to the 1950s. It all started when the founder, Per Sævik, bought his first fishing boat in his teens. From fishing and herring fishing, Havila is now a group operating in shipping technology, offshore, transport and tourism.
About Molgas Norway
Molgas, where Molgas Norway is part of the group, is currently one of the largest small-scale providers of LNG in Europe. The company has more than three decades of experience delivering natural gas to a wide range of end consumers both on land and at sea.
About SINTEF
SINTEF is one of Europe's largest independent research institutes, with multidisciplinary expertise within technology, natural sciences and social sciences. Since 1950, SINTEF is an independent foundation which, since 1950, has created innovation through development and research assignments for business and the public sector at home and abroad.
