PRESS RELEASE
Los Angeles, USA / Amsterdam, The Netherlands — 11/10/2025 — CALCAREA Inc. and AURELIA Design B.V. have entered into a 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.
At the heart of the collaboration is CALCAREA’s limestone weathering technology — a system that accelerates a natural process where carbon dioxide (CO₂) reacts with limestone and seawater, transforming it into stable bicarbonates 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.
Working together, the two companies will develop a next-generation bulk carrier, fully integrating 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 effecting 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.
“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.”
Pierre Forin | Co-founder and CTO of CALCAREA
“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 system expertise to make it practical, class-compliant, and ready for industry adoption.”
Raffaele Frontera | Founder and CEO of AURELIA
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.
About CALCAREA
Calcarea is a climate-tech company harnessing the oceans as a solution to 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.
About AURELIA
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 bring clean energy systems safely and effectively 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.