Korean Proposal to Shape IMO Onboard Carbon Capture Safety Guidelines
A working group at the International Maritime Organization’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 12) has agreed to use a South Korean proposal as the starting point for interim safety guidelines on onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS). The proposal came from a 10-member partnership based in Busan, South Korea, and will be combined with elements of a separate proposal from the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
The partnership, set up in April 2026, is led by Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, with Korean Register (KR) handling the regulatory work. Members include HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and the research institute KRISO. Their work draws on the container ship HMM Mongla, fitted with a carbon capture unit in 2024, where risk studies identified 64 hazard scenarios.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The draft guidelines cover how capture equipment fits with a ship’s structure, layout and machinery, and deal with CO2 handling and storage, leak prevention, emergency response and the transfer of captured CO2 ashore. A common main section applies to all systems, with separate annexes for specific technologies such as chemical absorption, membranes and mineralisation.
CCC 12 also set up a Correspondence Group on GHG Safety, coordinated by Korea, to develop the text and report to CCC 13 in 2027. The guidelines still need further review and approval by IMO. Onboard carbon capture is one of several options under study as shipping looks for ways to cut emissions, alongside new fuels such as ammonia.
CrewMirror Takeaway
Stored CO2 can displace oxygen in closed spaces without warning, so engineers and deck crews on ships fitted with capture systems will need proper training in leak detection, gas monitoring and emergency shutdown before these systems become common.
