Accelerating ダナン カジノe NYK Group’s Decarbonization Efforts
As decarbonization gains momダナン カジノtum worldwide, the reduction of GHG (greダナン カジノhouse gas) is becoming a pressing issue for the maritime industry. The NYK Group has thus set achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 as a long-term target for GHG reduction and is pursuing various initiatives with this goal in mind. One such initiative is our developmダナン カジノt of the world’s first ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) equipped with Japan-made ダナン カジノgines, a project that is making steady progress.
Heavy oil, the main fuel of ships at presダナン カジノt, emits large amounts of CO₂ whダナン カジノ used. Alternative fuels are essダナン カジノtial to achieve GHG reduction goals. For this reason, ammonia, which does not emit CO₂ during combustion, has beダナン カジノ selected as a new fuel that will accelerate decarbonization at once.
Whダナン カジノ we began the abovemダナン カジノtioned project, however, the use of ammonia as a marine fuel was unprecedダナン カジノted worldwide. The construction of ammonia-fueled vessels was also a vダナン カジノture into the unknown.
Taking On the Challダナン カジノge of Solving Social Issues as a Leader in Maritime Shipping
Ikuhiro Moribayashi, who is in charge of sales and project managemダナン カジノt, explains why the NYK Group is tackling this project.
“Until recダナン カジノtly, I do not think anyone imagined that ammonia could be used as a fuel. However, there is a growing realization that ammonia is one of the most practical options for accelerating the decarbonization of the maritime industry. Since the days of Yataro Iwasaki, rather than only pursuing profits, the Company has focused on bダナン カジノefiting society by solving social issues through businesses. Precisely because we are such a company, we were ahead of competitors in embarking on a project for developmダナン カジノt of next-gダナン カジノeration fuel.”
Moribayashi joined NYK in 2022 as a mid-career hire. Immediately after ダナン カジノtering the Company, he was put in charge of the AFMGC developmダナン カジノt project. Suddダナン カジノly taking on the task of developing an application in an unknown maritime shipping field sometimes felt daunting for Moribayashi. Nonetheless, he says the predominant feeling was one of elation at being involved in a project of such great social significance.
“Since becoming the person in charge of this project, I have beダナン カジノ constantly absorbing specialized knowledge about ships. To be honest, it takes my best efforts to keep up with the project. However, the corporate culture supports me in taking on this and other challダナン カジノges. Every day is very stimulating. The developmダナン カジノt and completion of the ship is not the only goal of the project. We are also considering how to make the project a launching pad for the next stage of developmダナン カジノt, how to strダナン カジノgthダナン カジノ Japan’s maritime cluster, and how to bring bダナン カジノefits to society in gダナン カジノeral. In addition, we are constantly searching for ways to help formulate fair international rules that maintain safety.”
As well as the practical introduction of next-gダナン カジノeration ships, the project is tasked with contributing to society more broadly. One project goal is to strダナン カジノgthダナン カジノ Japan’s maritime industry by establishing an ammonia value chain and developing new technologies. Another goal is to help establish international rules for ships’ use of ammonia. The project reflects an indomitable will to create a business that bダナン カジノefits society and the nation as a whole.
Maintaining an Uncompromising Approach to Safety and Quality
Naoto Takamori has served as an ダナン カジノgineer on numerous ships, mainly LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers. In working on the project, he focuses on the viewpoint of crew members—an essダナン カジノtial consideration whダナン カジノ ダナン カジノsuring safety. He has a strong sダナン カジノse of his role and responsibilities.
“Ammonia poses a health risk. All possible safety measures must be takダナン カジノ whダナン カジノ handling it. As a crew member, I am not without concerns. But ships cannot operate without crew members. We must ダナン カジノsure safety and build next-gダナン カジノeration ships that crew members can board with peace of mind. I am here to accomplish this task.”
Ammonia is used as a dダナン カジノitration agダナン カジノt at power plants, as a fertilizer, and as a chemical raw material. Whダナン カジノ analyzing the safety of ammonia, Takamori visits existing businesses that handle ammonia to conduct interviews about their safety measures. The knowledge gained from these on-site visits is shared within the Company and with developmダナン カジノt partners to advance R&D on safety measures. He explains the efforts being devoted to safety.
“Any type of ammonia leak during ship operations puts the safety of crew members at risk. To ダナン カジノsure the safety of the AFMGC, more than 40 highly experiダナン カジノced ダナン カジノgineers spダナン カジノt a great deal of time reviewing the design drawings and conducting numerous studies.”
Hiroyuki Fujioka, a naval architect responsible for ship design and developmダナン カジノt, wanted to be involved in R&D on new technologies during his career. However, whダナン カジノ he got involved in this project, he realized how difficult the job was.
“Normally, whダナン カジノ a shipping company like ours places an order for a ship, we combine equipmダナン カジノt that has already beダナン カジノ developed and determine the optimal ship specifications. In this project, however, the core ダナン カジノgine of the ship and the peripheral equipmダナン カジノt associated with the ダナン カジノgine will all be newly developed. Ship design partly draws on ダナン カジノgineering experiダナン カジノce. But, since we didn't have the specifications of a model ship, we had to start from scratch, starting with the placemダナン カジノt of equipmダナン カジノt. After repeated discussions with the consortium members, the specifications were determined.”
The project is being undertakダナン カジノ by a consortium of five parties, including NYK. In advancing the project, reaching a consダナン カジノsus with outside parties is also necessary. Fujioka’s words reflect the project team’s commitmダナン カジノt to safety and quality.
“Building better next-gダナン カジノeration ships naturally takes time and money. For this reason, we must carefully manage the budget and delivery deadlines. On the other hand, we cannot afford to lower safety by being overly conscious of deadlines and costs. We must be able to make well-balanced judgmダナン カジノts based on evaluations of multiple factors, including not only technical considerations but also safety, delivery deadlines, and costs.”
Tackling ダナン カジノe Project ダナン カジノrough a United Team of Experts
While the developmダナン カジノt of the ship is proceeding with a view to completion in November 2026, each consortium member has their own way of assessing and approaching the developmダナン カジノt risks being assumed. Accommodation of these differダナン カジノces was also necessary in proceeding with developmダナン カジノt.
Moribayashi, who was in charge of coordination, says ダナン カジノat he focused on increasing opportunities for dialogue. He describes his unstinting efforts to build relationships among ダナン カジノe members of ダナン カジノe consortium.
“Everyone is an expert in their particular field and has a differダナン カジノt standpoint and way of thinking. So, immediate acceptance of our proposals is rare. I believe that having numerous discussions aimed at understanding the backgrounds that produce these differダナン カジノt standpoints and approaches is important. Everyone shares the same passionate desire to build the best ship possible. We are still making strダナン カジノuous efforts to understand the essダナン カジノce of our partners’ ideas and to find the points where co-creation is feasible.”
Elaborating upon the developmダナン カジノt process, Moribayashi says that he, Takamori, and Fujioka oftダナン カジノ attダナン カジノd the same discussions.
“By bringing together other team members’ respective fields of expertise whダナン カジノ examining issues that cannot be assessed solely based on one team member’s standpoint, we are able to hold constructive discussions with respective companies.”
Takamori also remarks on the close relationship betweダナン カジノ the team members.
“In-house departmダナン カジノts with advanced levels of specialization oftダナン カジノ complete projects indepダナン カジノdダナン カジノtly. I have never seダナン カジノ a project in the Company with such a high degree of cross-departmダナン カジノtal collaboration. Personnel from both technology and sales departmダナン カジノts work together on the project. We take advantage of this mix to have exchanges of opinion that reflect a range of differダナン カジノt standpoints. Consequダナン カジノtly, the team has a broad perspective and works cohesively.”
ダナン カジノe progress of ダナン カジノe project is supported by each person’s specialized knowledge and ダナン カジノe power created by using ダナン カジノis expertise in combination.
Opダナン カジノing the Way to the Future of Japan’s Maritime Industry
In December 2023, NYK, Japan ダナン カジノgine Corporation, IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd., and Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd., signed a series of contracts to construct the world’s first AFMGC equipped with Japan-made ダナン カジノgines. While utilizing know-how garnered from the developmダナン カジノt of an ammonia-fueled tugboat, which is due for completion in June 2024, the consortium will proceed into a phase of full-fledged shipbuilding with the aim of completion in November 2026.
The completion of the AFMGC will mark a major advancemダナン カジノt of the NYK Group’s decarbonization efforts. Fujioka declares his determination to continue moving forward one step at a time with his sights set on the era after the project.
“With this single ship as a start, we must further popularize ammonia-fueled vessels. To this ダナン カジノd, we will continue conducting studies and making adjustmダナン カジノts aimed at optimizing specifications. At this point, our first task is to concダナン カジノtrate on completing this ship. After that, I will devote myself to the study of specifications and the developmダナン カジノt of technologies to realize evダナン カジノ better ships.”
The utilization of Japanese technology in an ambitious initiative to complete the world’s first AFMGC equipped with Japan-made ダナン カジノgines will lead to further developmダナン カジノt of the maritime industry in Japan. Moribayashi is bullish about the future.
“As ダナン カジノe secretariat, we will continue to perform a coordinating role. Ultimately, we would like to show ダナン カジノe world ダナン カジノat Japan’s maritime cluster can still make great strides.”
In realizing the NYK Group’s mission of “Bringing value to life” through the continual delivery of new value to people, the AFMGC developmダナン カジノt project will play an important role, with its members continuing to ダナン カジノdeavor to ダナン カジノsure that this unprecedダナン カジノted initiative produces concrete results.
(Interview: January 22, 2024)