Chief scientist: Abdirahman M. Omar
Institution: NORCE
The cargo ship Sea Cargo Express was built in 2012 and is owned by Sea-Cargo AS. It is 119 m long and primarily sails between Trondheim in Norway and Aberdeen in Scotland, visiting Norwegian harbours along the Norwegian coast and crossing the North Sea. The ship took over for the cargo ship Trans Carrier in 2022 and is now equipped with an automatic sea surface measuring system incorporating sensors for the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), temperature, salinity, and oxygen. On its route, Sea Cargo Express sails in ocean regions with distinct biogeochemical features and large salinity gradients.
The fjords and inner parts of the coast are areas where the inorganic carbon cycle shows a high degree of variability as it is influenced by e.g. fresh water input from land, mixing of local water masses and biological activity. The North Sea is a sink area for atmospheric CO2 whereas the southern North Sea s permanently mixed and becomes a source for atmospheric CO2 during summer months.
The map below shows the current location of the ship.