Carbon Ridge DAC Initiatives for 2025: Key Projects, Strategies and Partnerships

Carbon Ridge: Charting the Course for Maritime Decarbonization with Onboard Carbon Capture

From Pilot Agreements to At-Sea Deployment: A New Inflection Point in Maritime Carbon Capture

The trajectory of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) in the maritime industry has moved from conceptual validation to commercial demonstration, a shift clearly illustrated by the evolution of Carbon Ridge. Between 2021 and 2024, the company’s focus was on establishing a foundational technology and securing strategic partnerships. This period was characterized by agreements to develop and test its modular OCCS technology, such as the 2022 collaboration with Scorpio Tankers and a 2023 project launch with Crowley. These early-stage applications were designed to integrate Carbon Ridge’s systems, often housed in standard 40-foot shipping containers, onto commercial vessels to validate the concept. This approach signaled a broad strategy to prove the technology’s viability across different maritime operators.

The period beginning in 2025 marks a critical inflection point. The theoretical and small-scale testing phase culminated in the July 2025 deployment of the world’s first centrifugal OCCS system on a commercial vessel, the Scorpio Tankers LR2 product tanker STI Spiga. This moved the technology from the engineering bench to real-world, at-sea operations. The application is no longer just a test of integration but a full-scale pilot aimed at achieving a landmark 90%+ reduction in CO₂ emissions. This transition from broad partnership agreements to a specific, high-profile deployment on an active tanker highlights an acceleration in adoption. It presents a new opportunity to generate quantifiable performance data, which could unlock wider commercialization, but also carries the threat that any underperformance could temper industry enthusiasm for the technology.

Investment Trajectory: From Seed Funding to Commercialization Capital

Carbon Ridge’s funding journey reflects the increasing maturity of its technology and the growing investor confidence in its market potential. Initial seed funding laid the groundwork for development, which was later reinforced by significant investments from key industry players and climate-focused VCs. This financial backing has been instrumental in advancing the technology from the design phase to its first major at-sea deployment. The total funding, now exceeding $20 million, provides the necessary capital to scale operations and accelerate commercialization efforts following the critical pilot phase.

Table: Carbon Ridge Investment History

Partnership Strategy: Securing Industry Buy-in for Real-World Validation

Carbon Ridge’s partnership strategy has been central to its progress, methodically building a coalition of industry leaders to support, fund, and ultimately deploy its technology. The partnerships evolved from initial development agreements into tangible, operational projects, demonstrating a clear path from concept to commercial pilot. This collaborative approach combines Carbon Ridge’s technical innovation with the practical, operational expertise of major shipping companies, de-risking the technology and paving the way for broader market acceptance.

Table: Carbon Ridge Strategic Partnerships

Geographic Expansion: From Terrestrial Agreements to Global Maritime Deployment

Between 2021 and 2024, Carbon Ridge’s activities were geographically defined by its partners’ headquarters, indicating a strategic focus on key maritime hubs. Partnerships with US-based Crowley, Singapore-based Berge Bulk, and Monaco-based Scorpio Tankers demonstrated a multi-regional approach to securing industry support in North America, Asia, and Europe. This phase was about building a global coalition on paper. The period from 2025 onward represents a fundamental geographic shift from land-based agreements to the high seas. The deployment of the OCCS system on the STI Spiga, an internationally operating tanker, moves the technology’s center of gravity to the global maritime commons. This is no longer a regional pilot; it is a test on the world stage, reflecting the truly international nature of the shipping industry it aims to decarbonize. The success of this global, at-sea pilot is critical, as it will determine the technology’s viability in diverse operational environments, far from the controlled settings of terrestrial engineering hubs.

Technology Maturity: From Modular Concepts to a First-of-its-Kind Centrifugal System at Sea

The maturation of Carbon Ridge’s OCCS technology can be tracked through two distinct phases. From 2021 to 2024, the technology was in a development and pre-commercial validation stage. The focus was on its modular design, which allowed for installation in standard shipping containers, and its fuel-agnostic capabilities. The key events were agreements for future pilot projects, such as the 2023 plan with Crowley to build a smaller-capacity test unit. The technology, while innovative, remained largely in the engineering and integration planning phase, yet to be proven in its target environment.

The year 2025 represents a significant leap in technology readiness. The deployment on the STI Spiga is the first-ever use of centrifugal technology for carbon capture in the maritime industry. This is not just another pilot but the validation point for a specific, novel capture method. Moving from a planned, smaller-capacity version with Crowley to a full deployment on a Scorpio Tankers LR2 vessel signifies a major scaling of the technology. The successful operation of this system will shift its status from an emerging technology to a commercially demonstrated solution, providing a critical validation point for investors and potential customers who have been waiting for real-world performance data.

Table: SWOT Analysis of Carbon Ridge’s OCCS Technology

Forward-Looking Insights: All Eyes on the STI Spiga

The most recent developments signal that the year ahead will be defined by a single, critical variable: the performance data from Carbon Ridge’s centrifugal OCCS system aboard the STI Spiga. The entire narrative has shifted from potential to proof. Market actors should pay close attention to the quantifiable results of this pilot—specifically, the achieved CO₂ capture rate, the impact on vessel fuel efficiency, and the operational reliability of the system in harsh maritime conditions. A successful outcome, meeting or exceeding the 90%+ CO₂ reduction target, would act as a powerful catalyst, likely triggering a new wave of investment and partnerships from shipping companies seeking viable, near-term decarbonization solutions. Conversely, any significant underperformance would cede momentum to competing technologies like alternative fuels. The traction of onboard carbon capture as a whole hinges on this pilot. The key signal to watch is not another partnership announcement, but the hard data that will emerge from this landmark at-sea trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Carbon Ridge’s core technology and what makes it unique?
Carbon Ridge develops a modular onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) system that can be installed in standard shipping containers on commercial vessels. Its key innovation, deployed in July 2025, is the use of a centrifugal system for carbon capture, marking the first time this type of technology has been used in the maritime industry.

What is the current deployment status of Carbon Ridge’s technology?
As of July 2025, the technology has advanced from development agreements to a full-scale, at-sea pilot. Carbon Ridge deployed its first centrifugal OCCS system on the commercial tanker ‘STI Spiga’ in a partnership with Scorpio Tankers. This pilot aims to validate the system’s ability to achieve a 90%+ reduction in CO₂ emissions in real-world operating conditions.

Who are Carbon Ridge’s main partners and investors?
Carbon Ridge’s key strategic partners include major shipping companies like Scorpio Tankers, Crowley, and Berge Bulk. These companies are also investors, alongside climate-focused VCs such as Crosscut Ventures, Western Technology Investment, the Grantham Foundation, and the accelerator Katapult Ocean.

How much funding has Carbon Ridge raised for its technology?
Carbon Ridge’s total funding now exceeds $20 million. This capital was raised through several rounds, including a $6 million seed round in 2022 and a $9.5 million funding round in October 2024, which was intended to help accelerate the commercialization of its OCCS technology.

What is the most critical factor for Carbon Ridge’s future success?
The most critical factor is the quantifiable performance data from the OCCS system deployed on the ‘STI Spiga’. The company’s future credibility and ability to secure wider commercial adoption depend on the success of this landmark pilot, specifically its achieved CO₂ capture rate, operational reliability at sea, and impact on the vessel’s fuel efficiency.

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