Carbon Ridge’s carbon capture equipment installed on Scorpio Tankers’ vessel STI SPIGA, marking the start of its first sea trials. (Photo credits: Carbon Ridge)
A Climate Challenge at Sea
Every day, thousands of massive ships traverse our oceans carrying goods that power the global economy. From oil tankers and container vessels to bulk carriers moving food and raw materials, the maritime industry is the beating heart of international trade. Over 80% of global commerce relies on shipping.
But this critical system comes at a high cost. Maritime transport accounts for nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, over 1 billion metric tons of CO₂ annually, and this amount could double by 2050. If the shipping sector were a country, it would rank as the world’s sixth-largest emitter. On top of carbon pollution, ships still burn dirty bunker fuel and release large amounts of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter, significantly degrading air quality for coastal communities and contributing to ocean acidification in shipping lanes. And as shipping activity increases in frontier areas like the Arctic the exhaust soot, or black carbon, is causing more rapid melting of snow and sea ice, further damaging these changing ecosystems.
For years, the shipping emissions debate has centered around alternative fuels such as ammonia, methanol, or hydrogen. These fuels are frequently touted as the industry’s long-term solution, but they remain prohibitively expensive, infrastructure intensive, and technically complex to adopt. In the meantime, the clock is ticking. With new International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations and the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) now covering shipping, shipowners are under intense pressure to decarbonize quickly or risk regulatory penalties and stranded assets.
At Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) and Seabird Ventures, we believe climate solutions for the ocean must be scalable, pragmatic, and near-term. That’s why we are proud to announce our investment in Carbon Ridge, a Los Angeles-based startup pioneering the world’s first compact onboard carbon capture system (OCCS) for commercial shipping.
Why Alternative Fuels Aren't Enough
Carbon Ridge’s founders investigated this market and did the math for alternative fuels. Producing and transporting low-carbon ammonia or methanol for maritime use would cost around $2,000 per metric ton, compared to roughly $450 per ton for conventional heavy fuel oil. Even if regulatory incentives brought the cost of new fuels down by 50%, shipowners explained that customers wouldn’t accept the resulting price increase, making large-scale adoption unlikely in the near term.
Alternative fuels will require massive infrastructure overhauls: redesigned engines, specialized storage facilities at space-constrained ports worldwide, and new global supply chains. Significant government spending will be needed. Meanwhile, other sectors like data centers, agriculture, and home heating are better positioned to pay for scarce green electrons and low-carbon fuels, leaving maritime further down the priority list.
The conclusion was clear: while alternative fuels may one day be part of the solution mix, they cannot serve as the sole or primary solution in the next 10–20 years. For shipowners making decisions today, the question is how to future-proof fleets now against tightening regulations while staying cost-competitive.
Carbon Ridge’s answer is to work with the ships and fuels we already have, by capturing emissions before they enter the atmosphere.
How Carbon Ridge's Technology Works
Carbon Ridge installs modular carbon capture systems directly onboard vessels, intercepting CO₂ and other pollutants from exhaust streams and liquifying it. The heart of the system is an innovative centrifugal amine capture technology, which spins exhaust gases through an absorption process. The technology fits in a shipping container and is far more compact and efficient than conventional systems.
Here’s what sets their technology apart:
In short, Carbon Ridge has built a solution that is scalable, safe, and ready to help shipowners cut emissions today, without waiting for future fuels or major infrastructure changes.
From Concept to Deployment: The "Lone Ranger"
What excites us most is Carbon Ridge’s execution speed. Founded in 2021, the company has already gone from lab tests to full-scale pilot deployment in just four years.
In mid-2025, Carbon Ridge installed its first commercial system, nicknamed the “Lone Ranger”, onboard the STI Spiga, a Scorpio Tankers vessel at Besiktas Shipyard in Turkey. This marked the world’s first deployment of centrifugal onboard carbon capture in commercial shipping. Check out the footage of the installation, here.
Scorpio Tankers, one of the world’s largest tanker operators with nearly 100 vessels, partnered closely with Carbon Ridge on the project. COO Cameron Mackey summed it up: “We're proud to be part of this pilot project with Carbon Ridge, as they not only represent the leading edge of CCS technology, but they also have the requisite understanding of our industry to develop and implement practical solutions.”
The pilot is more than a demonstration. It is a proving ground for commercial adoption. Carbon Ridge is already building strong momentum with leading players in the shipping industry. The company is actively engaging with major fleets and industry partners, creating clear pathways for future retrofits and large-scale deployment across different vessel types.
RELATED: Read the pilot deployment press release here.
Carbon Ridge’s first carbon capture system, the “Lone Ranger,” installed on the cargo vessel STI SPIGA. (Photo credits: Businesswire)
Why We Invested
Our decision to invest in Carbon Ridge came after careful consideration of both their impact potential and commercial opportunity. Five key reasons stood out:
1. High-impact, measurable decarbonization
Carbon Ridge enables ships to dramatically cut their emissions, reducing CO₂ by more than 90% and eliminating over 99.9% of particulate matter, NOₓ, and SOₓ. This directly addresses one of the most urgent and difficult challenges in climate action: decarbonizing the shipping industry. Importantly, their system provides verifiable tracking of each ton of carbon captured, offering a cost-effective pathway to curb one of the world’s hardest-to-abate sources of emissions.
2. Proven execution and strong test results
The team has advanced from concept to installation at sea in just a few years, proving their ability to deliver on ambitious timelines. Prior to the pilot deployment, Carbon Ridge secured Design Basis Approval (DBA) from DNV for its Onboard Carbon Capture System, an important milestone confirming the system’s safety and regulatory readiness. This validation clears the path for future type approval and positions Carbon Ridge for broader commercial deployment across the global fleet, building confidence with shipowners and industry partners alike.
3. Strong team and network
Led by a founder with deep focus and commercial acumen, Carbon Ridge has surrounded itself with advisors, investors, and industry leaders who bring critical expertise in carbon removal, engineering, and maritime operations.
4. Policy-enabled market potential
The addressable market for maritime decarbonization is immense. Shipping emits about 1 billion tons of CO₂ annually, and Carbon Ridge’s onboard carbon capture systems could address most emissions from retrofittable vessels. The company estimates a $50B+ market opportunity in hardware retrofits over the next decade, fueled by accelerating regulations such as the IMO’s carbon intensity targets, FuelEU Maritime, and the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
5. Scalable, fleet-ready technology
The OCCS is designed to be far more compact than conventional systems, using only about one third of the total container space typically required. Because it is modular, compact, and fuel-agnostic, it can be installed across a wide range of vessels with minimal disruption. Its smaller footprint makes retrofitting feasible during a standard maintenance period, enabling rapid adoption across fleets. This practicality allows the technology to scale quickly to thousands of ships and deliver global impact.
Our Vision: Future-Proofing the World's Fleets
Shipping is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize due to the energy-intensive nature of hauling thousands of heavy containers across entire oceans, but it is also one of the most essential to global trade. At SOA, we believe that the ocean economy must evolve in ways that are practical, scalable, and equitable.
Carbon Ridge offers a bridge to the future: a way to dramatically reduce emissions today while the industry continues to innovate on long-term fuels and propulsion systems. Their technology is not a distant promise, it’s already sailing.
As part of our Ecopreneur Network, Carbon Ridge joins a community of founders building critical ocean–climate solutions, including other Ecopreneurs in maritime decarbonization like Navier, Photon Marine, Sinay, and Bound4Blue. We are proud to support their journey, not just as investors, but as long-term partners in scaling their impact.
The launch of the “Lone Ranger” system is just the beginning. By proving that onboard carbon capture is possible, Carbon Ridge is charting a new course for maritime decarbonization. With this milestone, Carbon Ridge becomes the 70th investment backed by SOA and Seabird Ventures, and the 15th company in Seabird’s portfolio. It joins a growing group of innovators advancing ocean health, and at SOA and Seabird Ventures, we’re excited to be on board.