Transboundary CO₂ Transport by Ship
Legal and environmental challenges of transporting liquefied CO₂ across maritime boundaries and jurisdictions by sea.
Regulation and Governance of Transport,
Sequestration, and Liability
The urgent need to achieve climate neutrality has placed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at the centre of international climate strategies. While pipelines remain the dominant mode of CO₂ transport, the role of transport by ships is rapidly gaining importance. Ships offer flexibility, scalability, and international reach, enabling captured CO₂ to be transported from emitters around the world to offshore storage reservoirs.
At the same time, significant uncertainties and risks persist. Technical and operational challenges of transporting large quantities of liquefied CO₂, environmental concerns about marine ecosystems, legal uncertainties surrounding cross-border shipments, and liability issues in case of leaks remain open questions. Existing international legal frameworks, such as the London Protocol and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, provide a starting point, but the regulation of CCS remains fragmented.
Against this backdrop, the Faculty of Law at Lund University, in collaboration with the Department of Law at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, convenes this international conference dedicated to the legal, governance, and liability aspects of carbon capture and storage at sea.
Legal and environmental challenges of transporting liquefied CO₂ across maritime boundaries and jurisdictions by sea.
Regulatory frameworks, standardization, and permitting procedures for CCS operations under international, EU, and national legal instruments.
Civil, operational, and post-injection liability for leakage and environmental harm, including insurance arrangements and financial security obligations.
Regulatory insights from first-mover CCS projects, building public trust in cross-border carbon storage, and lessons for emerging economies.
Regulatory frameworks for carbon storage within and beyond national jurisdiction, adaptive governance, and intergenerational risk management.
CCS as an instrument for climate neutrality, equity considerations, marine ecosystem protection, and the social licence for offshore storage.