Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), MTI Co., Ltd. (MTI), and Elomatic Oy, a Finnish maritime consulting and engineering firm (Elomatic), have completed the development of a concept design for an ammonia-fuel ready LNG-fueled vessel (ARLFV) for the transition to a future marine fuel, according to the company's release.
NYK and MTI (NYK Group) have established the long-term target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2050 for the NYK Group's oceangoing businesses. To achieve this goal, the NYK Group has been expanding its fleet of LNG-fueled ships in response to the Group establishing the LNG-fueled vessel as a bridge solution to vessels propelled by future marine fuels, such as ammonia or hydrogen.
In this project, which started in September 2021, the NYK Group and Elomatic started the development of a concept design for an ARLFV that can efficiently be converted from an LNG-fueled vessel to an ammonia-fueled vessel, based on the assumption that ammonia will become a next-generation marine fuel.
A concept design considers the specifications of a ship from an operation aspect, including factors such as load capacity, voyage distance, ship speed, fuel capacity, etc. When an ARLFV is ordered from a shipbuilder in the future, this concept design can then be used.
On February 3, 2021, NYK released the “NYK Group ESG Story,” which aims to further integrate ESG into the company’s management strategy and promotes activities that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) through business activities. To strongly promote ESG management, the NYK Group encourages new value creation as a sustainable solution provider through a business strategy that includes activities that promote upgrading to a next-generation eco-friendly fleet.