NYK And Partners To Develop World’s First Biomass-fuelled Ship, Bioship

Japanese shipping line Nippon Yusen Kaisha has signed a deal with the NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, Tsuneishi and British utility Drax to come up with the world’s first-ever biomass-fuelled vessel by the decade’s end.

A MoU signed at the British Embassy based in Tokyo will see the firms initially look to develop a biomass fuel plant onboard required to power the bioship and explore how other renewable tech could be used to lower emissions and fuel costs related to shipping biomass.

Japan’s demand for biomass pellets is rising, and imports are mainly from North America, where Drax has plants in Canada and the US.

The pellets are shipped via smaller handy-size bulkers, which, owing to the limited size of fuel tanks, have proved challenging to switch to relatively lower-emission fuels, like ammonia.

The biomass fuel plant would use a gasifier to consume biomass at high temperatures, producing and containing gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane.

The gases will then be used to power a generator that could propel the vessel and offer a proportion of internal power, per NYK.

The installation is anticipated to result in a 22% drop in well-to-wake carbon emissions when compared to using fossil fuels, and if this initiative is fruitful, the companies will work to study the feasibility of developing a bioship by 2029 end.

The initiative is part of NYK Group’s long-term goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its oceangoing enterprises, according to Shinichi Yanagisawa, the executive officer related to NYK Line.

Drax’s strategy is to lower its supply chain emissions and emerge as carbon-negative by 2030.

The firm had earlier collaborated with MOL Drybulk to ship wood pellets to Japan’s biomass energy clients on new ships featuring MOL’s Wind Challenger hard sail.

Commenting on the firm’s latest initiative, the chief commercial officer of Drax Group, Paul Sheffield, said that the deal is a crucial step in the development of the tech required to power and launch the first biomass ship in the world.

This will support Drax’s decarbonization goals but might also drive the innovation required to transform shipping and minimize carbon emissions and fuel costs in the worldwide supply chains.

Reference: NYK

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