Japanese shipping company NYK has welcomed a new coal carrier that is under a long-term transport contract with Chugoku Electric Power (EnerGia).
As informed, the delivery and the naming ceremony took place on 8 March. The vessel Kagura was constructed and delivered by compatriot shipbuilder Oshima Shipbuilding Co.
The ship measures 235 meters in length, has a breadth of 43 meters and it will sail under the Liberian flag.
According to the company, Kagura will use carbon offsets to theoretically reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to zero for the entire contracted voyage, making the marine transport of coal under the contract carbon neutral.
Specifically, certified emission reductions (CERs) as credits (emission rights) for the GHG emissions of the entire contract voyage have been procured to offset the GHG emissions.
The ship’s name, Kagura, is derived from Iwami Kagura, a masked traditional performance art loved by the people of Japan’s Chugoku region.
Last month, NYK voiced the need to bolster the company’s actions on decarbonization on the back of a reported rise in GHG emissions in 2022, which has been ascribed to various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of its green activities, the company has set sights on promoting low-carbon and decarbonized modes of transportation and establishing a value chain concept to realize a decarbonized society in the future.
In line with this, in November last year, NYK revealed its plans to order two liquefied natural gas-(LNG) fuelled large coal carriers from compatriot shipbuilder Oshima Shipbuilding Co.
This ship order is a part of a bulk carrier fleet development aimed at achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the NYK Group ‘s oceangoing businesses by 2050.