K Line conducts ‘first’ biofuel supply operation on a PCTC in Japan

Japanese shipping heavyweight Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has supplied marine biofuel to Viking Ocean, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) it operates at its finished-vehicle Yokohama Daikoku C-4 terminal, marking the ‘first time ever’ that the company supplied biofuel to one of the vessels it operates in Japan.

As disclosed, the 12,500 dwt PCTC—owned by Norway-based Gram Car Carriers—was supplied on December 9, 2024.

The marine biofuel used—made from renewable organic resources—contains 24% fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) blended with very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) which is expected to help the vessel slash approximately 190 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to K Line.

Marine biofuel, as a whole, has been said to carry a huge potential to become an environmentally friendly fuel, particularly because of FAME which can help reduce CO2 emissions by circa 84% in the well-to-wake process without needing to change the current engine specifications.

It is understood that employing marine biofuel aligns with K Line’s “Environmental Vision 2050 – Blue Seas for the Future” strategy wherein it has set a 2030 interim target of improving CO2 emissions efficiency by 50%, with 2008 as the base year. This target surpasses the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) goal of a 40% improvement, the Japanese shipping major said.

As part of the company’s plan to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, K Line has been engaged in a number of initiatives, such as setting sights on zero-emission fuels like ammonia and hydrogen as well as carbon-neutral fuels like bio-LNG and synthetic fuels.

The company has also completed several biofuel trials, seeking to find a path forward in terms of relying on clean fuels only and inching closer to its all-embracing decarbonization targets.

In early 2023, in partnership with integrated energy company bp, K Line supplied Capesize bulker Cape Tsubaki with the cooperation of the charterer, JFE Steel Corporation.

In this trial, biofuel had been stored for about 2 months in a tank, and it was used for the long voyage after storage without any significant setbacks, K Line explained in a statement at that time. The end result of this experiment was reportedly a GHG emissions reduction of about 80-90% in the well-to-wake process.

Much more recently, i.e. in May this year, K Line wrapped up its first trial use of marine B100 biofuel specifically, on the car carrier Apollon Highway. At that time, the company shared that the trial was conducted using marine B100 biofuel composed of 100% biodiesel.