On 29 January, NYK conducted a groundbreaking ceremony at a Chiba Prefecture site, marking the commencement of the construction of a test engine facility dedicated to assessing the safety and viability of biofuels for accelerated practical application.
The installation of the test engine is scheduled for completion in June. Over the next three years, NYK Group will conduct combustion tests to analyze the performance of biofuels. Boltech Co., and Nippon Yuka Kogyo Co., both affiliated with the NYK Group, will contribute to the project by leveraging their expertise in engine operation and fuel-oil analysis to evaluate various biofuel options.
According to the statement, biofuels, derived from diverse sources such as grains and waste cooking oil, have limited commercial availability at present. Anticipating an increasing demand for biofuels, the industry envisions the commercialization of a wider range of biofuel types in the future.
However, the process of testing and analyzing new fuels at external engine facilities, followed by 12–18 months of onboard trials, is typically required before these fuels can be consistently used on ships. NYK aims to expedite this timeline by owning and operating its dedicated test engine, thereby reducing the testing period and facilitating quicker adoption of new fuels for onboard use.
Furthermore, the test engine will be a reused generator from the tugboat Sakigake, which is currently being converted to an ammonia-fueled tug.
