Tata Steel becomes the first Indian company to import cargo on bulk carrier that uses LNG as fuel instead of traditional Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil. This groundbreaking vessel sets a new benchmark for sustainable shipping practices in India and marks a significant milestone in the country’ maritime sector, according to the company’s release.

On July 24, 2023, cape vessel “MV Ubuntu Unity” successfully berthed at Dharma port to discharge 1,65,700 metric tons of coal. The vessel was received at port by Ranjan Sinha, Chief Group Shipping, Tata Steel, along with other senior executives of Tata Steel and Dhamra Port. Going forward, Tata Steel plans to import ~1 million tons of coking coal in FY24 from Australia in such LNG powered vessels. Dhamra Port also extended special privilege to the LNG vessel thereby contributing to Tata Steel’s quest to lower Scope 3 emission.

MV Ubuntu Unity loaded coal from Gladstone port and sailed off on July 1, 2023. She used LNG during its ballast leg (Tianjin to Gladstone) and a mix of LNG and traditional fuel during its laden leg (Gladstone to Dhamra). Carbon emission for this voyage was ~1800 tons lesser which is ~35% less as compared to traditional Baltic specification cape vessels.

LNG is a cleaner fuel as compared to heavy fuel oil used in bulk ships and with increasing availability of LNG, this fuel is considered as transition fuel on the path of zero carbon emissions. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the vessel significantly reduces carbon emissions thereby aligning with global efforts to reduce climate change.

Earlier in December 2021, Tata Steel had deployed the first Bio-Fuel powered vessel MV Frontier Sky which was also the first by any Indian steel manufacturer.

Tata Steel is also the first steel producer in the world to join the Sea Cargo Charter (SCC) to align its chartering activities with responsible environmental behaviour, consistent with the policies and ambitions of International Maritime Organisation.