On April 19, NYK began participating in a new project for the purpose of establishing standards for the safe use of ammonia as a marine fuel. NYK, in collaboration with major companies worldwide, is taking part in an initiative to conduct safety assessments and establish standards for use of ammonia as a marine fuel, and thus realize the International Maritime Organization (IMO) target to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping by at least 50 percent by 2050.

Since carbon dioxide (CO2) is not emitted when ammonia is burned, ammonia is considered to have promise as a next-generation marine fuel that could mitigate shipping’s impact on climate change. In addition, it is said that zero emissions can be realized by utilizing CO2-free hydrogen* as a raw material for ammonia. However, due to the extreme toxicity of ammonia, safety assessments are critical to formulate standards for use of it as a marine fuel.

This project was established to address this issue by carrying out safety assessments involving people, ship assets, and the environment through designing of a concept ship that uses ammonia as marine fuel. Begun in April 2021, the project is being sponsored by Lloyds Register (UK) and the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (Denmark),** and A. P. Moller-Maersk (Denmark), MAN Energy Solutions (Germany), Total (France), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), and NYK are participating.

On February 3, 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. Participating in this ammonia-fuel project reflects the company’s initiative to achieve its environment management target, which is to reduce CO2 emissions per ton-kilometer of transport by 50% by 2050. To strongly promote ESG management, the NYK Group will encourage new value creation as a sustainable solution provider through business strategies such as this.

* CO2-free hydrogen
One way of producing hydrogen without generating CO2 is through the use of renewable energy. A second way is by using natural gas or coal together with carbon capture and storage. CO2-free ammonia synthesis is technology for synthesizing ammonia using such CO2-free hydrogen.

** Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping
A research center to promote decarbonization within the maritime industry by converting to alternative fuels. NYK is one of the center’s founding members.

*** NYK Group ESG Story
A guideline detailing concrete efforts to integrate ESG into management strategies of the NYK Group. Details can be found in the following press release.