Shipping line NYK and its subsidiary, Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha, have begun a pilot programme of using 100% biodiesel in tugboats.
Neste Renewable Diesel from Neste Oyj Group is being supplied under contract by Itochu Enex Co Ltd for use in Shin-Nippon’s tugboats.
Biofuels generally are made from renewable biomass (such as e.g. stalks from grain plants) and combustion results in virtually no new carbon dioxide (as the biomass usually extracts CO2 from the air as it grows when it is alive). Biofuels have attracted attention as a potential alternative fuel to heavy oil because of the demand for reduced carbon emissions from industry.
The Neste Renewable Diesel is manufactured from waste cooking and animal oil that is not used by the food industry. The Neste product can reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a life cycle assessment by about 90% compared with petroleum-derived fuels and which can be used as a “drop-in” fuel i.e. it can be used by existing infrastructure.
‘NYK Group will promote the use of environment-friendly fuels such as biofuels and contribute to the realization of a carbon-free society,” the NYK group says.
