NYK, Asahi Shipping and Kobe Steel conduct biofuel bunkering in port of Kobe

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), subsidiary Asahi Shipping and Kobe Steel have completed a successful biofuel ship-to-ship bunkering operation on a bulk carrier called Sunrise Serenity at the port of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan.

The Toyota Tsusho Marine Fuels Corporation provided the biofuel for the bunkering operation test before the vessel continued on its journey to the port of Newcastle in Australia. The biofuel used was produced using biomass from living organisms and is refined by methyl esterification of vegetable oils. The fuel emits almost no CO2 .

The test voyage will support each company’s aims – NYK is seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Asahi Shipping aims to decarbonize marine transportation in its supply chain, and Kobe Steel is targeting a sustainable society by promoting low-carbon operations.

The companies anticipate that the bunkering operation will contribute to the spreading of the biofuel supply chain to the Kansai and Setouchi areas. Knowledge from the test will be shared with additional parties to accelerate other decarbonization initiatives.

Sunrise Serenity is used for carrying Kobe Steel cargo and is operated and managed by Asahi Shipping. NYK and Asahi Shipping jointly own the vessel.