NYK recently successfully concluded a trial of biodiesel fuel for the wood-chip carrier ‘Daio Austral’, which transports wood chips for Daio Paper Corporation.
The fuel was supplied at Kinuura port and this was the first oceangoing vessel operated by NYK to receive biodiesel fuel in Japan. The ship then made a test voyage to Cai Lan port in Vietnam.
Toyota Tsusho Marine Fuel Corporation supplied the biofuel, and while sailing, the ship verified the main engine and generator conditions when using the biofuel. Biofuels are considered to be carbon-neutral because the CO2 that is absorbed by the source of the biomass is equal to the CO2 that is released when the fuel is burned. Since biofuels can be used in heavy oil–fired engines, they are considered to be a powerful means of reducing GHG emissions during the transition from heavy oil to zero-emission fuels.
Between 2019 and 2022, the NYK Group successfully conducted test voyages using biofuels on seven oceangoing vessels, mainly bulk carriers, and two tugboats. In 2023, the NYK Group aims to conduct test voyages on multiple ships, and this trial was completed with the cooperation of Daio Paper Corporation. NYK says it will continue to actively introduce biofuels and other next-generation fuels to promote decarbonisation in marine transportation.
