The two Japanese conglomerates, shipowner Nippon Yusen Kaisa (NYK) and trading company Mitsui & Co. (Mitsui) have in October signed a time charter contract for the vessel “Berlian Ekuator”.
The vessel during the time charter will transport ammonia to be used by JERA Co., Inc. (JERA) in the world’s first large-scale fuel-conversion demonstration test, which will be conducted at unit 4 of JERA’s Hekinan Thermal Power Station.
This demonstration project is subsidized by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), as NYK reveals in its statement.
Mitsui and JERA signed in June an ammonia sales and purchase agreement to be used in the ammonia demonstration test.
With this time charter NYK will collect practical knowledge on the handling of ammonia and developing a marine transportation system for the future expansion of the fuel ammonia market, the shipowner says.
The “Berlian Ekuator” operated by NYK is an 35,500 cubic metres LPG/ammonia carrier, Panamanian-flagged ship, built in 2004.
