The world's first ship powered by wood pellets

Ships running by burning wood pellets can reduce carbon emissions by 22% compared to ships using fossil fuels .

Japanese and British companies cooperate to develop cargo ships powered by wood pellets. (Photo: NYK Line)

Japanese shipping companies NYK Line, NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers (NBP) and Tsuneishi Shipbuilding team up with British renewable energy company Drax to develop the world's first biomass-fueled cargo ship . According to the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, the ship can set sail in 2029.

This cooperation is in line with Japan's move towards green energy sources. Japan is shifting from fossil fuel power generation to low-carbon and renewable sources, and the country's demand for biomass pellets - often made from forestry residue and sawmill waste - is growing. increase. These wood pellets are currently imported mainly from North America.

The new cargo ship will use wood pellets as fuel. (Photo: Daniel Lewis/VisMedia).

Drax produces biomass pellets in Canada and the southern United States. The company has been shipping pellets to Japan through NBP for a long time. According to Drax, a key step towards achieving net zero emissions is using biomass - a renewable and low-carbon energy solution from sustainable sources.

Sustainable biomass can significantly assist in maintaining forest health. Well-managed forests can effectively capture CO ₂ in the atmosphere. Drax aims to be carbon negative by 2030 and decarbonizing the supply chain will make a major contribution to this goal.

In the new project, the companies also aim to develop a biomass fuel processing system to provide energy for ships. The system is expected to be installed right on the ship, using gasification equipment to burn biomass at high temperatures, creating gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane.

These gases will then be used to operate the generator, which will both help the train run and provide some of the internal electricity. Drax and its partners affirm that the biomass fuel processing system can help new ships reduce carbon emissions by 22% compared to ships using fossil fuels.