Amsterdam, The Netherlands | November 10, 2025 — In a landmark step toward maritime decarbonization, CALCAREA Inc. and AURELIA Design B.V. have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at introducing ocean-based carbon capture technology into the global shipping industry. This partnership unites CALCAREA’s groundbreaking carbon removal process with AURELIA’s deep expertise in green ship design, naval architecture, and e-systems integration.
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A New Path for Maritime Carbon Capture
At the core of this initiative lies CALCAREA’s limestone weathering technology — a process that enhances one of nature’s own carbon sequestration mechanisms. By accelerating the reaction between carbon dioxide (CO₂), limestone, and seawater, the system converts CO₂ into stable bicarbonates that remain safely stored in the ocean for millennia. This nature-based, permanent, and infrastructure-light method of CO₂ capture offers a scalable pathway for maritime applications, leveraging the very seawater that ships continuously circulate.
Integrating Carbon Capture into Vessel Design
Through this collaboration, CALCAREA and AURELIA will co-develop a next-generation bulk carrier that fully integrates the CALCAREA reactor and its supporting systems directly into the ship’s architecture. The vessel will serve as a platform for scalable carbon removal at sea, setting a new benchmark for sustainable ship design.
AURELIA will take the lead on naval architecture, system integration, and class compliance engineering, ensuring the technology can operate effectively and safely under real maritime conditions — all without compromising cargo capacity or operational performance.
The engineering study encompasses seawater flow dynamics, intake and discharge optimization, and hull form refinements designed to maintain propulsion efficiency and minimize fuel penalties. The resulting design will act as a foundation for future class-approved, newbuild-ready vessels, paving the way for commercial adoption.
“We see shipping as one of the most natural environments for large-scale carbon removal,” said Pierre Forin, Co-founder and CTO of CALCAREA. “Ships operate surrounded by seawater — the very medium our process uses. Partnering with AURELIA allows us to bridge science and engineering, turning our technology into a deployable maritime system.”
“What makes this collaboration exciting is that it’s not just another retrofit — it’s a new generation of clean ship design built around a truly regenerative technology,” said Raffaele Frontera, Founder and CEO of AURELIA. “CALCAREA brings a breakthrough CO₂ capture process, and AURELIA brings the design and systems expertise to make it practical, class-compliant, and ready for industry adoption.”
Pathway to Demonstration
The collaboration has entered Phase 0 — a Feasibility and Concept Study — which will lay the groundwork for subsequent stages of engineering, validation, and testing. The program aims to achieve Approval in Principle (AiP) from classification societies before proceeding to demonstration at sea, marking a crucial step toward real-world deployment of carbon-removing vessels.
As global shipping faces mounting regulatory and societal pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this partnership represents a bold and scientifically grounded approach to climate-positive operations, positioning shipping as part of the climate solution rather than the problem.
About CALCAREA
CALCAREA Inc. is a climate-tech company pioneering ocean-based solutions to combat climate change. Built on over a decade of research at leading oceanography and marine engineering institutions including Caltech and the University of Southern California (USC), CALCAREA has developed a nature-inspired carbon capture system that removes CO₂ from ship exhaust and sequesters it permanently as dissolved oceanic bicarbonate.
By enabling both capture and long-term storage in a scalable, safe, and energy-efficient way, CALCAREA transforms one of the world’s most challenging emissions problems into a lasting climate solution. The company is now progressing toward on-vessel pilots to validate and scale its technology for global shipping operations.
About AURELIA
AURELIA Design is a naval architecture and marine engineering company at the forefront of sustainable maritime design and systems integration. Based in Amsterdam, AURELIA delivers advanced retrofit and newbuild solutions that safely and effectively bring clean energy technologies into ship operations.
The company combines deep technical expertise with class and regulatory know-how to help shipowners, technology providers, and research consortia deploy innovative systems including hydrogen, ammonia, biofuels, hybrid propulsion, and wind-assisted propulsion. AURELIA’s mission is to bridge innovation and real-world implementation, enabling fleets to transition toward a cleaner and more regenerative future.
Source: Aurelia Design B.V.