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Nippon Kaiji Kyokai News

25 Jan 2024

Japan Takes the Lead on Ammonia as Maritime Fuel

Image courtesy NYK

Late last year Japanese maritime leaders – Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Japan Engine Corporation, IHI Power Systems Co., and Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd. – signed a series of contracts to buid the world's first ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) equipped with Japan-make engines. The target is a completed ship by November 2026.While the project is significant, hurdles remain, namely:While development work is underway, today there is not yet a dual-fuel ammonia engine on the market…

05 Sep 2023

ClassNK Amends Rules for Seawater-lubricated Shafts

(Image: Thordon Bearings)

Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has joined the major classification societies to amend its rules relating to the inspection of seawater-lubricated propeller shaft systems.The amendment means that ships with open seawater-lubricated propeller shafts that are built to ClassNK rules are subject to the same 15-year shaft withdrawal inspection periods as oil-lubricated shafts and sterntubes, subject to monitoring criteria.The announcement brings ClassNK’s requirements in line with those of other large class societies…

15 Jun 2023

MOL Group Enters CTV Business with Charter Deal for Ishikari Bay New Port Wind Farm

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Line has concluded a time charter contract with Shimizu Corporation for two crew transfer vessels (CTV) for an offshore wind farm at Ishikari Bay New Port. "This marks the MOL Group’s first entry into the CTV business. In addition, one of the CTVs, The KAZEHAYA, owned by MOL, is the first CTV in Japan managed and operated under International Safety Management (ISM) Code, which is the international standard of ship safety management system, certified by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK )," MOL said.MOL Group company MOL Coastal Shipping, Ltd.

10 Mar 2023

Second Bangladesh Ship Recycling Yard Earns HKC Compliance

Image courtesy SN Corporation Bangladesh

M/S. S.N. Corporation’s Unit-02 ship recycling yard at Shitalpur, Sitakunda is now the second ship yard in Bangladesh to become compliant with IMO's Guidelines for Safe and Environmentally Sound Ship Recycling. The certification process was undertaken by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, establishing that S.N. Corporation was capable of the intensive procedural and performance standards required under the Hong Kong Convention (HKC). This process was assisted by GMS under its Sustainable Ship & Offshore Recycling Program (SSORP).

14 Feb 2023

Voyage Optimization Can Slash Emissions by 7.3% -Study

© moofushi / Adobe Stock

A vessel’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 7.3% by using voyage optimization software, a recent study shows. Moreover, the analysis shows that voyage optimization can improve a vessel’s CII by an average of 5-6%, enabling ships to maintain their ratings for an additional two to three years.NAPA, a maritime software and data analysis expert, and classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) announced the results of a joint study conducted with Marubeni Corporation…

27 Jan 2023

NYK to Build Fifth LPG Dual-Fuel VLGC

Image courtesy NYK/Kawasaki Heavy Industries

NYK ordered its fifth liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dual-fuel very large LPG/liquefied ammonia gas carrier (VLGC) from Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (KHI). The ship will be built at the KHI Sakaide Works shipyard and is set for delivery in 2026.This vessel is the seventh in NYK's fleet of LPG-fueled LPG carriers and the fifth in a new type of vessel that is also capable of carrying ammonia and will be equipped with separate cargo tanks designed to carry LPG and ammonia at the same time to flexibly respond to various trade patterns.In addition to the LPG dual-fuel engine…

08 Aug 2022

NYK to Modify Tugboat to Ammonia Fuel at Keihin Dock Co.

LNG-fueled tugboat Sakigake. (Photo courtesy NYK)

NYK finalized a contract with Keihin Dock Co., Ltd., an NYK Group company, to modify a tugboat to ammonia-fuel specifications. Sakigake, a tugboat currently fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and operated in Tokyo Bay by NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha Corporation will be converted to operate on ammonia fuel by a target completion year of 2024.This R&D was initiated in October 2021 by NYK and IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd.

08 Aug 2022

NYK Orders LPG Dual-Fuel Very Large LPG / NH3 Carrier

NYK ordered its fourth liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dual-fuel very large LPG / liquefied ammonia gas (NH3) carrier (VLGC) from Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (KHI). The ship will be built at the KHI Sakaide Works shipyard and is set for delivery in 2025.Like the LPG dual-fuel very large LPG / NH3 carriers already ordered by NYK, the vessel will be equipped with separate cargo tanks designed to carry LPG and ammonia at the same time to flexibly respond to various trade patterns.In addition to the LPG dual-fuel engine, the ship will have a shaft generator that can generate electricity during the voyage by using the rotation of the shaft that connects the main engine to the propeller.

28 Apr 2022

NYK to Build Its Third LPG Dual-Fuel Very Large LPG / NH3 Carrier

NYK ordered f its third liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dual-fuel very large LPG / liquefied ammonia gas (NH3) carrier (VLGC) from Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. The ship will be built at the KHI Sakaide Works shipyard and is set for delivery in 2024.Like our first two ordered LPG dual-fuel very large LPG / NH3 carriers, the vessel will be equipped with separate cargo tanks designed to carry LPG and ammonia at the same time to flexibly respond to various trade patterns.In addition to the LPG dual-fuel engine, the ship will have a shaft generator that can generate electricity during the voyage by using the rotation of the shaft that connects the main engine to the propeller.

16 Mar 2022

World's First: Methane Oxidation Catalyst System Gets AIP

Left: artist’s impression of a coal carrier scheduled for actual shipboard demonstration; right: Approval in Principle from ClassNK.

A methane oxidation catalyst system developed by Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), and Yanmar Power Technologies Co. (YPT) has received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK).The system reduces methane slip by placing a methane oxidation catalyst in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel engine and oxidizing the methane. This is the first time in the world that a methane oxidation catalyst system has received…

14 Feb 2022

MOL Bunkering Vessel Operated Using Biodiesel Fuel

(Photo: MOL)

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced that the bunkering vessel Techno Star, owned and operated by its group company MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. (MOL Tech), has been operating using cleaner burning biodiesel fuel (BDF) supplied by Aburatou Shoji K.K.The MOL Group, which announced in June 2021 that it aims to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050, said it is exploring biomass as an effective alternative to fossil fuels.The BDF used on board Techno Star is fatty acid methyl ester generated through transesterification of collected waste cooking oil with methanol.

08 Dec 2021

NYK to Build Two LPG Dual-Fuel Very Large LPG / NH3 Gas Carriers

Image courtesy NYK/Kawasaki Heavy Industries

NYK ordered its first two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dual-fuel very large LPG / ammonia (NH3) gas carriers (VLGCs) from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., both to be built at the KHI Sakaide Works shipyard and are set delivery in 2024.Both ships will be equipped with separate cargo tanks designed to carry LPG and ammonia at the same time to flexibly respond to various trade patterns. Ammonia is attracting attention not only as a raw material for chemicals and fertilizers but…

26 Oct 2021

NYK and Partners to Develop Ammonia-fueled Vessels

© VanderWolf Images / Adobe Stock

Japan's Nippon Yusen KK (NYK) and its partners said on Tuesday they will conduct a demonstration project to develop commercial vessels equipped with ammonia-fueled engines to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions to tackle climate change.The shipping industry is examining a range of technologies as it looks to meet a target set by the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) of reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions from ships from 2008 levels by 50% by 2050.Ammonia is used in making fertilizer and industrial materials, but is also seen as a potential future energy source, along with h

05 Aug 2021

Japanese Project Tests Ship-based CO2 Capture System

Marine-based CO2 Capture System installed on board the Corona Utility. Photo courtesy Mitsubishi Shipbuilding

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale demonstration plant of the “Marine-based CO2 Capture System”, in order to verify the equipment’s use. The equipment has now been installed on board the Corona Utility, a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by “K” Line, at MHI’s Honmoku Plant at the Yokohama Dockyard…

02 Jun 2021

Yara Joins Study on Ammonia as Ship's Fuel

By sharafmaksumov/AdobeStock

NYK Line, Nihon Shipyard Co. Ltd. (Nihon Shipyard), and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) signed an MOU with Yara International (Yara) to jointly study the practical application of an ammonia-fueled ammonia gas carrier (AFAGC) that uses ammonia as its main fuel.Carbon dioxide (CO2) is not emitted when ammonia is burned, so it is viewed to have promise as a next-generation fuel that could mitigate shipping’s impact on global warming. In addition, it is said that zero emissions can be realized by utilizing CO2-free hydrogen as a raw material for ammonia.

16 Dec 2020

Great Ships of 2020: NYK's Sakura Leader

Photo: NYK

The world’s first Digital Smart Ship (DSS)On October 28, 2020, NYK took delivery of Sakura Leader, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) capable of navigating oceans with only LNG as the ship’s main fuel. This delivery marks a step toward achieving NYK’s environment management target, which is to reduce CO2 emissions per ton-kilometer of transport by 50% by 2050. The vessel was built at the Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.The ship is the first large LNG-fueled PCTC to be built in Japan.

10 Dec 2020

Japan's Maritime Industry Powers Forward on "Green" Ships

Members of Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships. Photo Courtesy Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Participating in "Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships" focussed on R&D toward Achieving Decarbonized Shipping, and on December 10, 2020, a presentation was held in Yokohama to announce the establishment of the Center.Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. has become a member of "Planning and Design Center for Greener Ships," a core organization established to plan and propose state-of-the-art ships on a continuing basis through integration of the accumulated expertise of Japan's shipbuilding industry.

28 Oct 2020

Meet the World's First Digital Smart Ship, the Japanese Built LNG-Fueled PCTC Sakura Leader

Photo: NYK

The run up to 2050 and dramatic reductions in emissions from ships will, by most expert’s thinking, be an evolution of small steps premised on melding new fuels and digitalization technologies. The recent delivery of the LNG-fueled PCTC Sakura Leader to NYK can be considered a sizable leap in this regard, as the ship has been designated as the world’s first digital smart ship.A Big Step Toward CO2 Reduction TargetsOn October 28, NYK took delivery of Sakura Leader, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) capable of navigating oceans with only LNG as the ship’s main fuel.

04 Sep 2020

Mitsubishi's DIA-SOx Scrubbers Installed on 22 Ships YTD

(Photo: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding)

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, says its DIA-SOx marine scrubbers have been installed on 22 ships during the last eight months.The builder said the installations were completed as scheduled despite the continued spread of COVID-19 globally through remote commissioning conducted via close communication and cooperation with its local partners' engineers in China and Singapore.The  DIA-SOx lineup consists of the R Series and C Series.

12 Aug 2020

Japanese Partners Eye Ammonia as Marine Fuel

Ammonia-fueled ammonia gas carrier concept (Image: NYK Line)

A joint research and development (R&D) project initiated by a group of Japanese maritime companies aims to utilize ammonia as a marine fuel and establish methods for the mass transportation and supply of ammonia.The joint R&D agreement signed by NYK Line, Japan Marine United Corporation and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) on August 6 will target the commercialization of an ammonia-fueled ammonia gas carrier (AFAGC) that would use ammonia as the main fuel, in addition to an ammonia…

06 Feb 2020

Mitsubishi Installs Marine SOx Scrubbers

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding announced that its DIA-SOx R, , the marine SOx scrubbers, installed on two ultra large containerships recently gained approvals from the the flag states.The first 2 units of the scrubber retrofitted onboard ultra-large container ships got approvals from the classification societies, Lloyd's Register and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, respectively after confirmation of the excellent result of sea trials and consequently also got approvals from the Flag States, Panama and Singapore.Those 2 ships, whilst continuously using the existing heavy fuel oil, can conform the new SOx emission regulation requirement even after being strengthened as from January 1…

21 May 2020

Video: NYK Trials Remote Tug Operations

(Image: NYK)

Several companies within Japan's NYK Group have partnered to test the remote navigation of a tugboat in Tokyo Bay.The tugboat, operated by NYK's Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha Corporation, was equipped with a manned remotely controlled system and put to the test by NYK and its group companies MTI Co. Ltd., Keihin Dock Co. Ltd., and Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS).During the trials, the tug was operated remotely from an operation center in the city of Nishinomiya, approximately 400 kilometers away.

04 Oct 2019

MOL Gets AIP for Wind Challenger Design

Japan’s shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Oshima Shipbuilding have jointly obtained Approval in Principle (AIP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai  (ClassNK) for the design of a hard sail system.The system converts wind energy to propulsive force with telescopic hard sail, and is a fundamental technology of the "Wind Challenger Project"  that MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding are spearheading.Along with other participating organizations, MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding have played a central role in research and development on the Wind Challenger Project, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using wind energy.Obtaining the AIP marks…