NYK Uses Recycled Material for Car Lashing Belts
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), NYK Trading Corporation, and Rexxam have jointly introduced “eco CLASPER”, a newly developed car lashing belt made from 99.5% recycled polyester fiber.
On March 26, the three companies completed the installation of the belts on the newly built pure car and truck carrier Elder Leader. Compared to conventional products, “eco CLASPER” reduces GHG emissions generated during the weaving process by approximately 28.3%.
Car carriers require vast quantities of lashing belts to secure vehicles during transportation. This results in significant consumption of petroleum-derived materials and challenges related to disposal after use. To address these issues and reduce environmental impact, the three companies began jointly developing lashing belts using recycled polyester fiber in 2022.
Since 2024, the prototypes have undergone repeated onboard testing on NYK-operated car carriers, including Cassiopeia Leader, to verify strength and durability. These trials confirmed that the product meets the safety standards set by NYK and offers durability equivalent to existing belts, leading to its formal introduction.
If implemented across the entire NYK-operated car carrier fleet of approximately 120 vessels, annual GHG emissions could be reduced by an estimated 400 tons.