Berg Propulsion unveils ‘world’s first’ climate neutral propeller shafts

Swedish marine propeller systems manufacturer Berg Propulsion has presented what it describes as the shipping industry’s “first” propeller shafts made of climate-neutral steel.

The company has been selected by the French maritime company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) to supply six propeller shafts made from recycled scrap steel.

The propeller shafts are intended for three roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels to be built by China’s CSSC Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group and delivered in 2026. The eco-friendly units, which will carry aircraft parts across the Atlantic, will be equipped with Norsepower rotor sails and Wärtsilä’s dual-fuel engines running on maritime diesel oil and e-methanol. The hybrid propulsion, power management and control technology will be supplied by Berg.

Construction on the first low-carbon RoRo unit commenced at the abovementioned shipyard in October 2024.

As per Berg, propeller shafts are made using the GreenForge production process, a process developed by Björneborg Steel which draws on renewable electricity sources and makes pioneering use at scale of the fossil-free biogas rDME or bio-propane instead of propane. The process is audited as cutting 95% of the CO2 generated in conventional production, with other measures mitigating the remaining emissions to ensure full climate neutrality.

Björneborg Steel indicated that producing the six propeller shafts for LDA using the GreenForge process will result in a reduction of 160 tonnes of CO2 compared to the conventional method.

“BERG is delighted to work with Sweden’s cutting-edge steel industry and pioneer the use of maritime GreenForge. We are proud to be the first supplier in the world to offer customers propeller shafts using this process. It is fitting that the first sea-going application should be low emission ships,” Kajsa de Mello, Operations Director, BERG Propulsion, commented.

The world’s first climate neutral propeller shaft for LDA is due delivery from Björneborg Steel to the BERG plant in Hönö, Sweden in March, with five more to arrive before the end of June 2025.

The EU’s Clean Industrial Deal is expected to help revitalize European industries by including measures to incentivize renewable energy, remove barriers to investing in clean technologies, and offering aid and tax breaks to cut carbon.

Penalties are also coming for CO2 emissions in industry that will improve the competitive position of processes such as GreenForge. CO2 emission ‘rights’ are being withdrawn from EU steelmakers, meaning they can switch to climate neutral processes or face penalties and higher production costs. By 2030, Björneborg Steel projects emission free processes will be cheaper than their legacy counterparts.

“The sustainability case for carbon neutral steel is compelling and, while it is currently at the premium end of the market, its use will offer marine equipment buyers a route around escalating fossil-based production costs,” de Mello added.

“Like other industries, maritime has its share of sustainability leaders and stakeholders open to the innovations needed for the challenges ahead. We are ramping up production based on the … GreenForge process, subject to the availability of biogases and we look forward to helping BERG’s customers make the green choice that will benefit generations to come,” Håkan Dedorsson, CEO, Björneborg Steel, noted.

Based on demand, Björneborg aims to shift its full production to the GreenForge process in 2027.

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