NYK signed a business alliance agreement with Nakashima Propeller Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Nakashima Propeller”) and Fluid Techno Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Fluid Techno”) to (1) verify the effects of energy-saving devices that enhance vessel fuel efficiency by improving water flow generated at the aft-end of ships, (2) select optimal combinations of those energy-saving devices, and (3) install them on existing ships. In accordance with this business alliance agreement, NYK aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing vessels by installing energy-saving devices on about 50 dry bulk carriers over the next three years.

Ships can generally operate with less energy as wave resistance and water-flow turbulence decrease, so various energy-saving devices have been developed in marine and shipbuilding industries. Although the effects of individual energy-saving devices have been verified by the marine equipment manufacturer that developed each device, an optimal combination of multiple energy-saving devices and verification of their synergistic effects have not been thoroughly researched.

To address this issue, NYK will collaborate with Nakashima Propeller, a marine equipment manufacturer that develops and sells ship propellers as well as energy-saving devices, and Fluid Techno, a ship design company with fluid analysis technology.

This business alliance can be said to be a pioneering attempt in the maritime industry, in which three companies will jointly work on the best mix of multiple energy-saving devices by utilizing the knowledge and strengths of each company. Through this initiative, improvement of fuel efficiency by one to eight percent and reduction of vessel GHG emissions are expected.

In February 2021, NYK released the “NYK Group ESG Story,” which aims to further integrate ESG into the company’s management strategy and promotes activities that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs through business activities. In March this year, NYK released the updated “NYK Group ESG Story 2022,” which introduces initiatives for integrating ESG into the Group’s management strategies set forth in the “NYK Group ESG Story” and provides a partial explanation of the Group’s sustainable growth strategy from a long-term perspective. In the process of achieving the long-term target of net-zero emissions of GHG by 2050, not only R&D of zero-emission vessels but also improvement of fuel efficiency of vessels that use heavy oil as fuel is playing an important role. To strongly promote ESG management, the NYK Group will promote the creation of new value as a sustainable solution provider.