NYK, Asahi Shipping & Kobe Steel trial biofuel
NYK, Asahi Shipping & Kobe Steel trial biofuel - Offshore Energy
NYK, Asahi Shipping & Kobe Steel trial biofuel
Japanese shipping heavyweight Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) in cooperation with its subsidiary Asahi Shipping and compatriot steel production major Kobe Steel have completed a biofuel ship-to-ship bunkering operation on the bulk carrier Sunrise Serenity.
The transfer took place on July 28 at the port of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture.
The vessel was supplied with biofuel by Toyota Tsusho Marine Fuels Corporation and consumed biofuel on its route to the port of Newcastle, Australia.
Sunrise Serenity carries cargoes for Kobe Steel. The vessel is operated and managed by Asahi Shipping and jointly owned by NYK and Asahi Shipping.
The test voyage was a joint effort by the three companies, each with its own aim. Namely, NYK has a long-term goal to reduce GHG emissions in its oceangoing businesses to “achieve net zero emissions by 2050.” Asahi Shipping aims to decarbonize marine transport in its supply chain and Kobe Steel aims for a sustainable society through integrated efforts to promote a low-carbon, recycling-based society.
Biofuels can be used in marine engines as an alternative to heavy oil. Biofuels are made from organic resources (biomass) derived from living organisms and are considered to have virtually zero CO2 emissions when burned.
The fuel is refined by methyl esterification of vegetable oils and is expected to be an alternative fuel to petroleum-derived heavy crude and light oil.
The three companies expect the test voyage will contribute to spreading the biofuel supply chain in the Kansai and Setouchi areas.
NYK, Asahi Shipping, and Kobe Steel said they will share the knowledge from this test voyage to promote decarbonization initiatives.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”