Japan's MOL, Hitachi, and JAL Sign Agreement for First Direct Ocean Capture Pilot in Japan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Hitachi, and Japan Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding on August 4, 2026, to conduct Japan's first pilot project to directly extract carbon dioxide from seawater on Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture.

The pilot uses a land-based containerized unit to draw seawater from the surrounding area, separate dissolved carbon dioxide from it, and discharge the treated water back into the sea. The three companies will verify the operational feasibility of the technology, assess its environmental impact, and identify challenges associated with deploying Direct Ocean Capture systems along Japan's coastline.

According to the companies' assessment as of July 2026, this project will be Japan's first Direct Ocean Capture pilot connected to an operating seawater intake system. Hitachi will lead the technical approach, covering carbon content and water quality measurement, data analysis, physics-based AI plant control, and the development of a monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework for potential carbon credits. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will coordinate with local government and organizations on Kume Island and prepare the site and supporting infrastructure. Japan Airlines, together with Japan Transocean Air and Ryukyu Air Commuter, will handle regional liaison efforts while studying the feasibility of using recovered carbon dioxide as a feedstock for synthetic aviation fuel (E-SAF).

The three companies have previously invested in Captura, a U.S.-based Direct Ocean Capture developer, and view this pilot as an initial step toward producing synthetic fuel using recovered carbon dioxide on Kume Island.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. is a Japanese transportation group whose main business includes marine transport. Hitachi, Ltd. is a Japanese technology group with operations in digital systems, energy, transportation, and industrial infrastructure. Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. is a Japanese airline group operating domestic and international passenger and cargo services.