diff --git a/opm/material/common/UniformTabulated2DFunction.hpp b/opm/material/common/UniformTabulated2DFunction.hpp
index 67c7e1330..16dfac689 100644
--- a/opm/material/common/UniformTabulated2DFunction.hpp
+++ b/opm/material/common/UniformTabulated2DFunction.hpp
@@ -62,6 +62,17 @@ public:
         resize(minX, maxX, m, minY, maxY, n);
     }
 
+    UniformTabulated2DFunction(Scalar minX, Scalar maxX, unsigned m,
+                               Scalar minY, Scalar maxY, unsigned n,
+                               const std::vector<std::vector<Scalar>>& vals)
+    {
+        resize(minX, maxX, m, minY, maxY, n);
+
+        for (unsigned i = 0; i < m; ++i)
+            for (unsigned j = 0; j < n; ++j)
+                this->setSamplePoint(i, j, vals[i][j]);
+    }
+
     /*!
      * \brief Resize the tabulation to a new range.
      */
diff --git a/opm/material/components/co2tables.inc b/opm/material/components/co2tables.inc
index e94562aed..4ce500b44 100644
--- a/opm/material/components/co2tables.inc
+++ b/opm/material/components/co2tables.inc
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ struct TabulatedDensityTraits {
     static const Scalar yMin;
     static const Scalar yMax;
 
-    static const Scalar vals[numX][numY];
+    static const std::vector<std::vector<Scalar>> vals;
 };
 
 inline const double TabulatedDensityTraits::xMin = 2.800000000000000e+02;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ inline const double TabulatedDensityTraits::yMin = 1.000000000000000e+05;
 inline const double TabulatedDensityTraits::yMax = 1.000000000000000e+08;
 inline const char  *TabulatedDensityTraits::name = "density";
 
-inline const double TabulatedDensityTraits::vals[200][500] =
+inline const std::vector<std::vector<double>> TabulatedDensityTraits::vals =
 {
     {
             1.902062465274410e+00,     5.782408947482105e+00,     9.764909779046345e+00,     1.385694970929571e+01,     1.806682704790397e+01, 
@@ -20445,7 +20445,7 @@ struct TabulatedEnthalpyTraits {
     static const int    numY = 500;
     static const Scalar yMin;
     static const Scalar yMax;
-    static const Scalar vals[numX][numY];
+    static const std::vector<std::vector<Scalar>> vals;
 };
 
 inline const double TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::xMin = 2.800000000000000e+02;
@@ -20454,7 +20454,7 @@ inline const double TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::yMin = 1.000000000000000e+05;
 inline const double TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::yMax = 1.000000000000000e+08;
 inline const char  *TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::name = "enthalpy";
 
-inline const double TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::vals[200][500] =
+inline const std::vector<std::vector<double>> TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::vals =
 {
     {
             5.700580815972213e+03,     3.531328941638982e+03,     1.311308233079838e+03,    -9.631993272332195e+02,    -3.296365473729317e+03, 
@@ -40862,46 +40862,28 @@ typedef Opm::UniformTabulated2DFunction< double > TabulatedFunction;
 
 // this class collects all the tabulated quantities in one convenient place
 struct CO2Tables {
-   static TabulatedFunction   tabulatedEnthalpy;
-   static TabulatedFunction   tabulatedDensity;
-   static const double brineSalinity;
+   static const TabulatedFunction   tabulatedEnthalpy;
+   static const TabulatedFunction   tabulatedDensity;
+   static constexpr double brineSalinity = 1.000000000000000e-01;
 };
 
-inline TabulatedFunction CO2Tables::tabulatedEnthalpy;
-inline TabulatedFunction CO2Tables::tabulatedDensity;
-inline const double CO2Tables::brineSalinity = 1.000000000000000e-01;
+inline const TabulatedFunction CO2Tables::tabulatedEnthalpy
+    {TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::xMin,
+     TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::xMax,
+     TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::numX,
+     TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::yMin,
+     TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::yMax,
+     TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::numY,
+     TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::vals};
 
-// initialize the static tables once. this is a bit hacky in so far as it uses some
-// advanced C++ features (static initializer functions)
-inline int initCO2Tables_();
-int initCO2Tables_()
-{
-    CO2Tables::tabulatedEnthalpy.resize(TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::xMin,
-                                        TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::xMax,
-                                        TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::numX,
-                                        TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::yMin,
-                                        TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::yMax,
-                                        TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::numY);
+inline const TabulatedFunction CO2Tables::tabulatedDensity
+    {TabulatedDensityTraits::xMin,
+     TabulatedDensityTraits::xMax,
+     TabulatedDensityTraits::numX,
+     TabulatedDensityTraits::yMin,
+     TabulatedDensityTraits::yMax,
+     TabulatedDensityTraits::numY,
+     TabulatedDensityTraits::vals};
 
-    for (unsigned i = 0; i < TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::numX; ++i)
-        for (unsigned j = 0; j < TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::numY; ++j)
-            CO2Tables::tabulatedEnthalpy.setSamplePoint(i, j, TabulatedEnthalpyTraits::vals[i][j]);
-
-    CO2Tables::tabulatedDensity.resize(TabulatedDensityTraits::xMin,
-                                       TabulatedDensityTraits::xMax,
-                                       TabulatedDensityTraits::numX,
-                                       TabulatedDensityTraits::yMin,
-                                       TabulatedDensityTraits::yMax,
-                                       TabulatedDensityTraits::numY);
-
-    for (unsigned i = 0; i < TabulatedDensityTraits::numX; ++i)
-        for (unsigned j = 0; j < TabulatedDensityTraits::numY; ++j)
-            CO2Tables::tabulatedDensity.setSamplePoint(i, j, TabulatedDensityTraits::vals[i][j]);
-
-    return 0;
-}
-
-extern int co2TablesInitDummy__;
-inline int co2TablesInitDummy__ = initCO2Tables_();
 
 #endif /* CO2TABLES_INC */