Japan’s first: NYK runs biofuel trial on coal carrier for domestic power utility company

In line with efforts to promote decarbonization in maritime transport, Japanese shipping major NYK Line has conducted the first biofuel test run on its coal carrier for a domestic power utility company.

The biofuel trial started on February 9, on NYK’s coal carrier Noshiro Maru which is operated for Tohoku Electric Power.

The biofuel supply for the 2016-built coal carrier was facilitated by Mitsubishi Corporation Energy.

According to NYK, this marked the first time in Japan that a coal carrier has been used to test biofuel for a domestic power utility company.

Biofuels are made from organic resources (biomass) of biological origin, such as agricultural residues and waste cooking oil, and are considered to produce virtually zero CO2 emissions when combusted.

Since they can be used in heavy-oil-powered ship engines, which are common on large merchant ships, biofuels are considered a key means of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transition period from heavy oil to zero-emission fuels, NYK highlighted and reiterated its commitment to continue introducing biofuels and other next-generation fuels as means of decarbonizing maritime industry.

To this end, the Japanese company started operating its test engine facility in October 2024 to evaluate the safety of new fuels and shorten review time, aiming for practical use within a period of three months.

Desptie being considered a promising decarbonization solution, biofuels’ long-term use could be hindered by limited supply in the future, classification society DNV pointed out in the latest white paper.