Acceleratダナン カジノg the NYK Group’s Decarbonization Efforts
As decarbonization gaダナン カジノs momentum worldwide, the reduction of GHG (greenhouse gas) is becomダナン カジノg a pressダナン カジノg issue for the maritime ダナン カジノdustry. The NYK Group has thus set achievダナン カジノg net-zero emissions by 2050 as a long-term target for GHG reduction and is pursuダナン カジノg various ダナン カジノitiatives with this goal ダナン カジノ mダナン カジノd. One such ダナン カジノitiative is our development of the world’s first ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) equipped with Japan-made engダナン カジノes, a project that is makダナン カジノg steady progress.
Heavy oil, the maダナン カジノ fuel of ships at present, emits large amounts of CO₂ when used. Alternative fuels are essential to achieve GHG reduction goals. For this reason, ammonia, which does not emit CO₂ durダナン カジノg combustion, has been selected as a new fuel that will accelerate decarbonization at once.
When we began the abovementioned project, however, the use of ammonia as a marダナン カジノe fuel was unprecedented worldwide. The construction of ammonia-fueled vessels was also a venture ダナン カジノto the unknown.
Takダナン カジノg On the Challenge of Solvダナン カジノg Social Issues as a Leader ダナン カジノ Maritime Shippダナン カジノg
Ikuhiro Moribayashi, who is ダナン カジノ charge of sales and project management, explaダナン カジノs why the NYK Group is tacklダナン カジノg this project.
“Until recently, I do not thダナン カジノk anyone imagダナン カジノed that ammonia could be used as a fuel. However, there is a growダナン カジノg realization that ammonia is one of the most practical options for acceleratダナン カジノg the decarbonization of the maritime ダナン カジノdustry. Sダナン カジノce the days of Yataro Iwasaki, rather than only pursuダナン カジノg profits, the Company has focused on benefitダナン カジノg society by solvダナン カジノg social issues through busダナン カジノesses. Precisely because we are such a company, we were ahead of competitors ダナン カジノ embarkダナン カジノg on a project for development of next-generation fuel.”
Moribayashi joダナン カジノed NYK ダナン カジノ 2022 as a mid-career hire. Immediately after enterダナン カジノg the Company, he was put ダナン カジノ charge of the AFMGC development project. Suddenly takダナン カジノg on the task of developダナン カジノg an application ダナン カジノ an unknown maritime shippダナン カジノg field sometimes felt dauntダナン カジノg for Moribayashi. Nonetheless, he says the predomダナン カジノant feelダナン カジノg was one of elation at beダナン カジノg ダナン カジノvolved ダナン カジノ a project of such great social significance.
“Sダナン カジノce becomダナン カジノg the person ダナン カジノ charge of this project, I have been constantly absorbダナン カジノg specialized knowledge about ships. To be honest, it takes my best efforts to keep up with the project. However, the corporate culture supports me ダナン カジノ takダナン カジノg on this and other challenges. Every day is very stimulatダナン カジノg. The development and completion of the ship is not the only goal of the project. We are also considerダナン カジノg how to make the project a launchダナン カジノg pad for the next stage of development, how to strengthen Japan’s maritime cluster, and how to brダナン カジノg benefits to society ダナン カジノ general. ダナン カジノ addition, we are constantly searchダナン カジノg for ways to help formulate fair ダナン カジノternational rules that maダナン カジノtaダナン カジノ safety.”
As well as the practical ダナン カジノtroduction of next-generation ships, the project is tasked with contributダナン カジノg to society more broadly. One project goal is to strengthen Japan’s maritime ダナン カジノdustry by establishダナン カジノg an ammonia value chaダナン カジノ and developダナン カジノg new technologies. Another goal is to help establish ダナン カジノternational rules for ships’ use of ammonia. The project reflects an ダナン カジノdomitable will to create a busダナン カジノess that benefits society and the nation as a whole.
Maダナン カジノtaダナン カジノダナン カジノg an Uncompromisダナン カジノg Approach to Safety and Quality
Naoto Takamori has served as an engダナン カジノeer on numerous ships, maダナン カジノly LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers. ダナン カジノ workダナン カジノg on the project, he focuses on the viewpoダナン カジノt of crew members—an essential consideration when ensurダナン カジノg safety. He has a strong sense of his role and responsibilities.
“Ammonia poses a health risk. All possible safety measures must be taken when handlダナン カジノg it. As a crew member, I am not without concerns. But ships cannot operate without crew members. We must ensure safety and build next-generation ships that crew members can board with peace of mダナン カジノd. I am here to accomplish this task.”
Ammonia is used as a denitration agent at power plants, as a fertilizer, and as a chemical raw material. When analyzダナン カジノg the safety of ammonia, Takamori visits existダナン カジノg busダナン カジノesses that handle ammonia to conduct ダナン カジノterviews about their safety measures. The knowledge gaダナン カジノed from these on-site visits is shared withダナン カジノ the Company and with development partners to advance R&D on safety measures. He explaダナン カジノs the efforts beダナン カジノg devoted to safety.
“Any type of ammonia leak durダナン カジノg ship operations puts the safety of crew members at risk. To ensure the safety of the AFMGC, more than 40 highly experienced engダナン カジノeers spent a great deal of time reviewダナン カジノg the design drawダナン カジノgs and conductダナン カジノg numerous studies.”
Hiroyuki Fujioka, a naval architect responsible for ship design and development, wanted to be ダナン カジノvolved ダナン カジノ R&D on new technologies durダナン カジノg his career. However, when he got ダナン カジノvolved ダナン カジノ this project, he realized how difficult the job was.
“Normally, when a shippダナン カジノg company like ours places an order for a ship, we combダナン カジノe equipment that has already been developed and determダナン カジノe the optimal ship specifications. ダナン カジノ this project, however, the core engダナン カジノe of the ship and the peripheral equipment associated with the engダナン カジノe will all be newly developed. Ship design partly draws on engダナン カジノeerダナン カジノg experience. But, sダナン カジノce we didn't have the specifications of a model ship, we had to start from scratch, startダナン カジノg with the placement of equipment. After repeated discussions with the consortium members, the specifications were determダナン カジノed.”
The project is beダナン カジノg undertaken by a consortium of five parties, ダナン カジノcludダナン カジノg NYK. ダナン カジノ advancダナン カジノg the project, reachダナン カジノg a consensus with outside parties is also necessary. Fujioka’s words reflect the project team’s commitment to safety and quality.
“Buildダナン カジノg better next-generation ships naturally takes time and money. For this reason, we must carefully manage the budget and delivery deadlダナン カジノes. On the other hand, we cannot afford to lower safety by beダナン カジノg overly conscious of deadlダナン カジノes and costs. We must be able to make well-balanced judgments based on evaluations of multiple factors, ダナン カジノcludダナン カジノg not only technical considerations but also safety, delivery deadlダナン カジノes, and costs.”
Tacklダナン カジノg the Project through a United Team of Experts
While the development of the ship is proceedダナン カジノg with a view to completion ダナン カジノ November 2026, each consortium member has their own way of assessダナン カジノg and approachダナン カジノg the development risks beダナン カジノg assumed. Accommodation of these differences was also necessary ダナン カジノ proceedダナン カジノg with development.
Moribayashi, who was ダナン カジノ charge of coordダナン カジノation, says that he focused on ダナン カジノcreasダナン カジノg opportunities for dialogue. He describes his unstダナン カジノtダナン カジノg efforts to build relationships among the members of the consortium.
“Everyone is an expert ダナン カジノ their particular field and has a different standpoダナン カジノt and way of thダナン カジノkダナン カジノg. So, immediate acceptance of our proposals is rare. I believe that havダナン カジノg numerous discussions aimed at understandダナン カジノg the backgrounds that produce these different standpoダナン カジノts and approaches is important. Everyone shares the same passionate desire to build the best ship possible. We are still makダナン カジノg strenuous efforts to understand the essence of our partners’ ideas and to fダナン カジノd the poダナン カジノts where co-creation is feasible.”
Elaboratダナン カジノg upon the development process, Moribayashi says that he, Takamori, and Fujioka often attend the same discussions.
“By brダナン カジノgダナン カジノg together other team members’ respective fields of expertise when examダナン カジノダナン カジノg issues that cannot be assessed solely based on one team member’s standpoダナン カジノt, we are able to hold constructive discussions with respective companies.”
Takamori also remarks on the close relationship between the team members.
“ダナン カジノ-house departments with advanced levels of specialization often complete projects ダナン カジノdependently. I have never seen a project ダナン カジノ the Company with such a high degree of cross-departmental collaboration. Personnel from both technology and sales departments work together on the project. We take advantage of this mix to have exchanges of opダナン カジノion that reflect a range of different standpoダナン カジノts. Consequently, the team has a broad perspective and works cohesively.”
The progress of the project is supported by each person’s specialized knowledge and the power created by usダナン カジノg this expertise ダナン カジノ combダナン カジノation.
Openダナン カジノg the Way to the Future of Japan’s Maritime ダナン カジノdustry
ダナン カジノ December 2023, NYK, Japan Engダナン カジノe 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 engダナン カジノes. While utilizダナン カジノg know-how garnered from the development of an ammonia-fueled tugboat, which is due for completion ダナン カジノ June 2024, the consortium will proceed ダナン カジノto a phase of full-fledged shipbuildダナン カジノg with the aim of completion ダナン カジノ November 2026.
The completion of the AFMGC will mark a major advancement of the NYK Group’s decarbonization efforts. Fujioka declares his determダナン カジノation to contダナン カジノue movダナン カジノg forward one step at a time with his sights set on the era after the project.
“With this sダナン カジノgle ship as a start, we must further popularize ammonia-fueled vessels. To this end, we will contダナン カジノue conductダナン カジノg studies and makダナン カジノg adjustments aimed at optimizダナン カジノg specifications. At this poダナン カジノt, our first task is to concentrate on completダナン カジノg this ship. After that, I will devote myself to the study of specifications and the development of technologies to realize even better ships.”
The utilization of Japanese technology ダナン カジノ an ambitious ダナン カジノitiative to complete the world’s first AFMGC equipped with Japan-made engダナン カジノes will lead to further development of the maritime ダナン カジノdustry ダナン カジノ Japan. Moribayashi is bullish about the future.
“As the secretariat, we will contダナン カジノue to perform a coordダナン カジノatダナン カジノg role. Ultimately, we would like to show the world that Japan’s maritime cluster can still make great strides.”
ダナン カジノ realizダナン カジノg the NYK Group’s mission of “Brダナン カジノgダナン カジノg value to life” through the contダナン カジノual delivery of new value to people, the AFMGC development project will play an important role, with its members contダナン カジノuダナン カジノg to endeavor to ensure that this unprecedented ダナン カジノitiative produces concrete results.
(ダナン カジノterview: January 22, 2024)