Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line), Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) announced they have begun joint discussions on the commercialization of a new business to supply LNG as a marine fuel to ships in the Chubu, the central region of Japan.
LNG is expected to become an important alternative to heavy fuel oil due to its relatively low emissions of air polluting substances and greenhouse gases, which will enable ships to meet increasingly stringent international regulations on emissions.
In view of this, the four companies will jointly discuss specific LNG customers and supply methods in preparation for the commercialization of LNG bunkering business.
Compared to heavy fuel oil, the use of LNG can reduce emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM) by approximately 100%, nitrogen oxides (NOx) by as much as 80%, and carbon dioxide (CO2) by approximately 30%.
