The Current — July 2026
JULY 2026
Welcome back to The Current, Calcarea’s quarterly dispatch.
Since our last update, Calcarea has entered an exciting new phase. Fabrication of our pilot system is complete and installation is underway as we move toward commissioning and testing this summer. This next chapter is also reflected in our leadership, with Andrew Stevenson joining Calcarea as CEO, and in the continued growth of our team across engineering and operations.
At the same time, a new research paper on bicarbonate also provides encouraging insight into the impact of Calcarea’s effluent and helps address several of the questions we’ve been exploring. More broadly, the recent MEPC-84 meeting reinforced the pace at which the shipping industry is moving toward regulatory and market alignment around emissions reduction, underscoring the growing need for practical, deployable solutions in the years immediately ahead. It’s this kind of momentum across research, operations, and industry adoption that continues to move the work forward in meaningful ways.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s been happening at Calcarea over the last few months:
The Latest Milestones
- Calcarea Pilot System Fabrication of the pilot system is officially complete, and it’s all hands on deck at AltaSea as we prepare for summer testing. Below are early photos from the manufacturing of the system. Come and visit our site by contacting info@calcarea.com
- New Field Research on Alkalinity Additions to the Ocean Commenting on a research paper under peer review by Rucha Wani, Professor Will Berelson of the University of Southern California describes experimental work on ocean alkalinity addition, including simulations relevant to Calcarea effluent. He writes:
A recent preprint evaluates the localized chemical and biological responses to various alkalinity additions, including bicarbonate and calcium ions, within Los Angeles Harbor waters. The study tracks organic and inorganic carbon dynamics to identify specific thresholds where mineral precipitation occurs under localized environmental conditions and also how ecosystems are impacted. Authored by Rucha Wani, a PhD student on Berelson’s team at USC, we invite you to read the full paper to explore their data on these chemical interactions. Read the full paper here.
- Award Recognition Calcarea was honored to receive the People’s Choice Prize at the French American Business Awards Startup Competition.
- Singapore Maritime Week CTO and Co-founder Pierre Forin represented Calcarea during Singapore Maritime Week, primarily exhibiting at the ZEBOX (CMA CGM) booth. The week offered valuable conversations across shipping, infrastructure, and climate stakeholders as industry attention increasingly turns toward scalable compliance solutions.
- The Oslo Trader While in Singapore, Pierre was also able to tour the Oslo Trader, a vessel owned by our partner Lomar Shipping.
Welcoming Our New CEO
We’re excited to welcome Andrew Stevenson as Calcarea’s new CEO. Andy brings experience across clean technology, carbon management, and building the strategies, relationships, and operational foundations needed to help organizations grow. His work at companies including Tesla, Twelve, and Redwood Materials has given him a unique perspective on advancing technologies designed to address some of the world’s most complex issues.
Andy joins Calcarea at an important moment in our journey as we move toward pilot commissioning and a step further toward commercialization. His deep commitment to climate solutions, forward-looking approach, and belief in Calcarea’s trajectory make him the right leader for this next phase of growth.
As Andy steps into the role of CEO, Co-founder Jess Adkins is transitioning into the role of Chief Science Officer, where he will continue to guide Calcarea’s scientific vision. Jess is grateful to everyone who has helped build Calcarea into what it is today and is excited to continue supporting the team and the company’s growth in this new role.
Read Jess’s announcement here.
On The Regulatory Front
At the recent IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC-84) in London, discussion and debate continued on the proposed IMO Net-Zero Framework (NZF). While political negotiations are still in flux, and continued developments are expected, this meeting did reaffirm support for the IMO’s GHG Strategy and the need for a system to measure and report GHG emissions from ships and to incentivize GHG reductions. In addition, work has continued on the IMO’s OCCS Regulatory Framework, which will set rules, constraints, and accounting requirements for on-board carbon capture and storage systems. We expect lively discussion into the fall sessions of MEPC-85 and the “MEPC-ES,” but one thing remains clear: ships are under continued pressure to reduce GHG emissions and environmental impacts. It is this pressure which is continuing to generate interest and demand in economical solutions like Calcarea’s mineralization-based OCCS technology, which reduces GHGs, reduces environmental impacts, and delivers at low cost.
Get Involved
There’s a lot to look forward to in the months ahead, and we’re continuing to work closely with industry partners as deployment pathways begin to take shape. Through our Ocean Compliance Coalition, shipowners, operators, and stakeholders across the maritime ecosystem can engage directly with our development process and gain early visibility into pilot learnings, operational insights, and emerging compliance considerations.
As our pilot system moves into operation, we’re excited to welcome members of the Coalition to visit us here at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, learn more about our technology, and see the work underway through upcoming demo days and site visits.
If you’d like to learn more about the Coalition or explore opportunities to collaborate, please email info@calcarea.com.