A newbuild car carrier, named ‘Oceanus Highway’, with a capacity for 6,900 vehicles, has been delivered to Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (‘K’ Line).
The vessel is mainly fuelled by LNG and was constructed by Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding. The use of LNG fuel is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% to 30% and SOx emissions will be almost eliminated.
The ship was financed using the framework of the Zero-Emission Accelerating Ship Finance, jointly operated by the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), with the aim of supporting the maritime industry’s transition toward decarbonisation. The programme is based on a scoring model developed jointly by DBJ and ClassNK that evaluates ships from the perspectives of decarbonisation, environmentally friendly performance, and innovation. This is the first time ‘K’ Line has used this method of financing.
Oceanus Highway has received an ‘A’ rating from ClassNK, recognising that adequate environment-related investments have been made. The environmental assessment noted the emissions reduction resulting from use of LNG as primary fuel, in NOx and particulates as well as CO2 and SOx, and the vessel’s compliance with IMO’s Tier III and SOx regulations.
‘K’ Line has set its 2030 interim target of improving CO2 emissions efficiency by 50% compared with 2008, surpassing the IMO target of a 40% improvement, with net zero CO2 emissions achieved by 2050 . This will be achieved by the introduction of new fuels with low environmental impact.
Image: ‘Oceanus Highway’ (source: ‘K’ Line)
