NYK Set to Achieve World's First Truck-to-Ship Fuel Ammonia Bunkering

Apr. 12, 2024

NYK, JERA, and Resonac Complete Joint Study to Establish Safe and Secure Ammonia Supply System

NYK will supply fuel ammonia at the end of May to an NYK-owned ammonia-fueled tugboat ("A-tug") scheduled to be completed in June. A ceremony marking the announcement was held on April 10 at Sea Japan 2024,* an international event attended by many people involved in the maritime industry.

The announcement took place at the "GI Foundation for the Development of Ships with Domestic Ammonia-Fueled Engines" booth and was attended by Yuichiro Kato, head of the Low Carbon Fuel Value Chain Division at JERA Co., Inc. (hereinafter "JERA"); Hiroshi Adachi, executive officer and general manager of the Basic Chemicals Business Unit at Resonac Corporation (hereinafter "Resonac"); Takeshi Kato, president and representative director of Shin-Nihon Kaiyosha; and Osamu Shimada, executive officer at Tokyo Power Technology Ltd. (hereinafter Tokyo Power Technology).

Joint Booth

Presentation Ceremony at Joint Booth
From left
First: Tsutomu Yokoyama; Executive Officer of NYK
Second: Yuichiro Kato, Head of the Low Carbon Fuel Value Chain Division of JERA
Third: Takeshi Kato, President and Representative Director of Shin-Nihon Kaiyosha
Fourth: Osamu Shimada, Executive Officer of Tokyo Power Technology
Fifth: Hiroshi Adachi, Executive Officer and general manager of the Basic Chemicals Business Unit at Resonac

Last December, JERA, Resonac, and NYK signed an agreement to jointly study the supply of fuel ammonia to ships and have been working together to establish safe operation methods, build a system for transporting and receiving ammonia in port areas, and lobby relevant authorities to formulate various rules for the supply.

Having reached a safe and secure point of supplying fuel ammonia to ships, NYK has decided to supply fuel from an ammonia lorry (tank truck) at the end of May to the soon-to-be-completed A-Tug at the port of Yokohama. If realized, this will be the world's first case of fuel ammonia replenishment to a ship using the truck-to-ship method.**

On the same day, a fuel-supply agreement was also announced for the regular supply of fuel ammonia after the completion of the A-tug between Shin Nippon Kaiyosha, an NYK Group company that operates the A-tug, and JERA, a marine fuel ammonia supplier, marking a significant step toward the widespread use of fuel ammonia in the marine transport industry.

The NYK Group will continue to develop business activities that consider the global environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its oceangoing shipping business and contribute to strengthening the international competitiveness of the Japan Maritime Cluster in the global shipping industry's efforts toward decarbonization.

Outline of each company

<JERA>
Headquarters: Tokyo
Representatives: Yukio Kani, Global CEO and Chair; Hisae Okuda, President, CEO and COO
Website: www.jera.co.jp/en/

<Shin-Nihon Kaiyosha>
Headquarters: Yokohama
Representative: Takeshi Kato, President and Representative Director
Website: www.snkaiyosha.co.jp/page/eng.html

<Resonac>
Headquarters: Tokyo
Representative: Hidehito Takahashi, President and Representative Director
Website: www.resonac.com/

<Tokyo Power Technology>
Headquarters: Tokyo
Representative: Kazuyuki Shiokawa, President and Representative Director
Website: www.tokyo-pt.co.jp/company-profile

<NYK>
Headquarters: Tokyo
Representative: Takaya Soga, President and Representative Director
Website: www.nyk.com/english/

* Sea Japan 2024
International networking event for shipbuilders, shipowners, ship equipment manufacturers, and other maritime industry professionals.
In addition to the exhibition, which brings together more than 580 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions and 20,000 visitors, various industry events, including more than 90 industry seminars, are held. Website: www.seajapan.ne.jp/en/

** Truck to Ship method
A fuel-supply method using flexible hoses from shore-side tankers to ships.

On March 10, 2023, the NYK Group released its medium-term management plan “Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 ― A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing.” The NYK Group is promoting growth strategies with ESG at the core, based on the Group’s mission statement of “Bringing value to life” and a new corporate vision for 2030, which reads, “we go beyond the scope of a comprehensive global logistics enterprise to co-create value required for the future by advancing our core business and growing new ones.”

The NYK Group has launched its new "NYK GREEN EARTH" brand to emphasize the Group’s ESG efforts to create new value initiatives for low carbon and decarbonization through green businesses, such as energy shift to next-generation fuels. The Group will encourage new value creation as a sustainable solution provider to strongly promote ESG management.