CALCAREA Inc. and AURELIA Design B.V. announced on November 10, 2025, their collaboration to bring ocean-based carbon capture technology to the maritime sector. The partnership combines CALCAREA's unique carbon removal process with AURELIA's expertise in green ship design and e-systems integration.

Limestone Weathering Technology

At the heart of the collaboration is CALCAREA's limestone weathering technology, a system that accelerates a natural process in which carbon dioxide (CO2) reacts with limestone and seawater, transforming it into stable bicarbonate ions safely stored in the ocean. The approach offers a nature-based, permanent, and infrastructure-light solution to CO2 capture and sequestration, ideal for maritime applications where seawater is readily available and continuously circulated.

Next-Generation Bulk Carrier Development

Working together, the two companies will develop a next-generation bulk carrier that fully integrates the CALCAREA reactor and supporting systems into the vessel architecture. AURELIA will lead the naval architecture, system integration, and class compliance engineering, ensuring the technology can operate efficiently and safely in real ship conditions without affecting cargo capacity.

The study includes analysis of seawater flow dynamics, intake and discharge configurations, and hull shape, to maintain performance while minimizing fuel impact. The design will serve as the foundation for a scalable and class-ready newbuild platform.

Executive Statements

“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, and turn our technology into a deployable maritime system.”

Raffaele Frontera, Founder and CEO of AURELIA, stated: “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. CALCAREA brings a breakthrough CO2 capture process, and AURELIA brings the design and system expertise to make it practical, class-compliant, and ready for industry adoption.”

Project Timeline and Development Phases

The Phase 0 Feasibility and Concept Study is now underway and will be followed by further engineering and validation phases as the technology advances toward Approval in Principle (AiP) and demonstration.

CALCAREA is a climate-tech company harnessing the oceans to address climate change. Based on over a decade of research in leading oceanography and marine engineering laboratories at Caltech and USC, its nature-inspired technology captures CO2 from ship emissions and permanently sequesters it as dissolved oceanic bicarbonate. By enabling both capture and long-term storage in a scalable, environmentally safe way, CALCAREA transforms one of the world's toughest emissions challenges into a lasting climate solution. CALCAREA is now moving forward with piloting its technology on vessels.

AURELIA is a naval architecture and marine engineering company specializing in green technology design integration on board ships. The company delivers advanced retrofit and newbuild solutions that safely and effectively bring clean energy systems into maritime operations. Combining deep technical expertise with class and regulatory know-how, AURELIA bridges innovation and real-world implementation.

The firm supports shipowners, technology providers, and research consortia in deploying hydrogen, ammonia, biofuel, hybrid propulsion, and wind-assisted propulsion systems, transforming fleets for a sustainable future.

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