World’s First Biomass-fuelled Ship “Bioship” To Be Developed

Japanese shipping line NYK has signed a deal to come up with the world’s first-ever biomass-fuelled vessel by the decade’s end.

A MoU 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.

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.

The initiative is part of NYK Group’s long-term goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for its oceangoing enterprises.