K Line, EGA team up to decarbonise bulk cargo shipping

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the UAE-based aluminium producer Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to cooperate on research and pilot projects to decarbonise bulk cargo shipping.

The cooperation is expected to focus on the development and implementation of new marine decarbonisation technologies suitable for EGA’s bulk cargo shipping routes in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.

Solutions are likely to include kite systems, alternative fuels and CO2 capture technologies. All of these technologies today have technical and practical challenges to widespread adoption that remain to be overcome, ranging from technology immaturity to lack of support infrastructure, according to the two companies.

K Line Group will lead research into decarbonisation opportunities, and EGA will target pilot projects on its K Line shipping routes.

K Line Group transports some five million tonnes of EGA’s bauxite per annum from the Republic of Guinea to the UAE and some 1.5million tonnes of alumina each year from Australia to the UAE, under long-term contracts of affreightment.

“Economy-wide decarbonisation will require cooperation between industries, and we are pleased to work with K Line Group on this important global challenge,” Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said.

“Our long-term relationship with K Line Group provides an ideal platform to develop and test ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. For EGA, our goal is to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions not just from our own operations but also from activities in our supply chain. Improving the fuel efficiency of shipping could also reduce our shipping costs.”

“Decarbonisation is an essential challenge for the shipping industry to meet the expectations of our customers and global society. This cooperation with EGA … will enable us to jointly make progress towards net zero for both our companies. It will also enable us to pioneer new approaches for the shipping industry as a whole,” Yukikazu Myochin, President & CEO of K Line, commented.