PODCAST: Carbon capture at sea and circular value at ports
In the latest Portside Perspective podcast we talk to Alisha Fredriksson, co-founder & CEO of Seabound, who talks to us about carbon capture as a near-term solution for both decarbonising the existing fleet and a new market opportunity for ports.
This podcast explores how onboard carbon capture and port-side carbon recycling can accelerate maritime decarbonisation in light of the slow progress of alternative fuels, which largely still lack the regulatory clarity and commercial certainty needed to scale.
This gap, she explains, has amplified the need for practical near-term solutions for the existing fleet.
Seabound has responded with a modular onboard carbon capture system based on calcium looping. Exhaust gases are channelled into 20-foot shipping containers filled with lime, where CO₂ is captured and converted into solid limestone.
Once vessels return to port, the containers are swapped for fresh units, enabling continuous capture without energy-intensive onboard CO₂ purification. The limestone can either be sold directly as a construction material or recycled to regenerate lime and release pure CO₂ for reuse or sequestration.
In the interview, Ms Fredriksson outlines early demonstrations at the Port of Long Beach with Stax Engineering, delivering what is believed to be the first port-side CO₂ capture pilot, followed by a UK project in Southampton focused on pre-deployment trials and full-scale unit testing.
She emphasises that ports can play a pivotal role in the carbon capture process, supported by more flexible commercial models and collaborative regulatory approaches.
Ms Frederikson also discusses how carbon capture can create an entirely new circular industry at ports, where captured carbon becomes a commodity rather than a waste product.
Read the accompanying exclusive feature on Seabound’s vision for port-led carbon capture
About Seabound
Seabound, is a UK-based start-up that’s making waves with its pioneering carbon capture technology for ships.
Founded in 2021, the company was founded by Alisha Fredriksson and Roujia Wen who met while studying at Minerva University. The concept for Seabound emerged from Ms Frederikson’s experience working at a maritime e-fuel startup.
Seabound’s technology addresses a significant environmental challenge in the shipping industry. The carbon capture equipment attaches to ships’ exhaust systems, effectively capturing carbon dioxide emissions before they enter the atmosphere.
This captured carbon is then transformed into a valuable resource and can be sold to companies in construction or manufacturing chemicals or e-fuels, creating a circular solution for what would otherwise be harmful emissions.