As Europe accelerates its industrial decarbonisation agenda, offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) is moving from pilot initiatives to full-scale infrastructure development. The focus is shifting towards integrated transport and storage systems capable of handling millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) annually.
Several current projects illustrate how offshore CCS is being deployed across Europe using different technical and commercial models. From backbone pipeline networks to open-access storage hubs, the developments will be a key topic of discussion at the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Congress (DECARBON) 2026, set to take place in Vösendorf, Austria on 9–10 February. Major representatives of upstream, midstream and downstream operations will meet at the congress to as…
As Europe accelerates its industrial decarbonisation agenda, offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) is moving from pilot initiatives to full-scale infrastructure development. The focus is shifting towards integrated transport and storage systems capable of handling millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) annually.
Several current projects illustrate how offshore CCS is being deployed across Europe using different technical and commercial models. From backbone pipeline networks to open-access storage hubs, the developments will be a key topic of discussion at the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Congress (DECARBON) 2026, set to take place in Vösendorf, Austria on 9–10 February. Major representatives of upstream, midstream and downstream operations will meet at the congress to assess progress and remaining challenges.
The Aramis project represents one of the most ambitious offshore CCS infrastructure developments in continental Europe.
Philip Cooper, project director at Petrofac, says: “The project demonstrates the critical importance of integrated working, early supply chain engagement and effective technical interfaces across the CCS value chain, supported by a highly experienced and collaborative client organisation.”
In late 2023, the Aramis consortium (comprised of TotalEnergies, Shell, Gasunie and EBN**)** awarded UK-based Petrofac a 12-month front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to develop the project’s CO₂ transport and offshore storage system.
Petrofac has since led FEED for the 200km, 32in offshore CO₂ pipeline, linking onshore compression facilities in the Port of Rotterdam to multiple depleted gas reservoirs in the Dutch North Sea, with a design capacity of 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) operating in dense phase. The work was delivered through a fully co-located joint team, enabling close integration across process design, flow assurance, control systems, safety concepts and materials selection along the entire CCS value chain.
Key engineering challenges addressed during the FEED phase included routing an onshore CO₂ pipeline through a highly congested port environment, while meeting a stringent programme of standards and Royal Netherlands standardisation institute requirements, as well as developing a bespoke landfall and tunnelling solution using micro-tunnelling techniques. Offshore, Petrofac’s scope covered complex pipeline routing and mechanical design in mobile seabed conditions, alongside stability, protection and buckling considerations, subsea tie-in provisions, platform structural and safety design, and enhanced pre-commissioning strategies.
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