K Line rounds off 2nd trial use of marine biofuel

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K LINE) has teamed up with GoodFuels on a trial use of marine biofuel on board Supramax bulker Albion Bay.

The trial was carried out in cooperation with JFE Steel Corporation, and it is the second successful trial use of marine biofuel by a K Line vessel.

The vessel loaded the hot rolled steel coils at JFE Steel Corporation West Japan Works on 24 July 2022 and started navigation to discharging port in Pakistan.

The marine biofuel was delivered to the vessel off Singapore on 3 August 2022. After leaving Singapore, the vessel conducted the trial use of the marine biofuel and safely arrived at discharging port on 16 August.

The trial was carried out by using marine biofuel blended with bio-diesel and fossil fuel.

K Line added that it was planning the same kind of trial by cape size bulker for raw material shipment for JFE Steel Corporation.

The Japanese shipping company started testing biofuel on its vessels at the end of 2021. The first trial saw its car carrier Polaris Highway bunker biofuel provided by BP at the Dutch port of Flushing in November.

Biofuel is an interesting alternative for shipowners seeking to decarbonize their operations as they can burn it without changing engine specifications. It has the potential to reduce CO2 by about 80-90% in the well-to-wake process.

K Line is also looking into alternative fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen fuels, bio-LNG and synthetic fuels as part of its commitment to boost CO2 emission efficiency by 50% over 2008, surpassing the IMO target of 40% improvement. The company has set a net zero target for 2050.