Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Line has taken the delivery of a new wood-chip carrier called Stellar Harmony from Imabari Shipbuilding Group’s member Iwagi Zosen.

As part of a long-term contract between NYK and Marusumi Paper， the new vessel will be used for the shipment of wood chips from New Zealand， Australia， North America，and South America.

Stellar Harmony features hybrid fins and hybrid fins besides an eco-friendly main engine with specifications to enhance fuel efficiency during low-load operation.

The ship will also be used for pumping seawater along its routes to gather microplastics floating in the ocean.

Chiba Institute of Technology will analyse the collected microplastics and use them for research to get clarity on the actual distribution of microplastics in the ocean.

The carrier has a length of around 199.9m and a breadth of 32.24m， as well as a deadweight tonnage of 49，506 metric tonnes.

Furthermore， the vessel has a tank capacity of around 3，600，000ft3.

Besides， NYK invested in Sustainable Energy that manages an energy-supply business using unused resources including flammable waste generated in cities.

An integrated subcritical-water organic-waste power-generation system (ISOP system) has been developed by Sustainable Energy.

It is used for the decomposition of organic substances using subcritical-water-treating technology and for generating green energy products such as biofuels.

The investment enables NYK to commence joint studies on the conversion of organic waste such as garbage and sludge generated on vessels into fuel using the ISOP system.

It also allows NYK to focus on the commercialization of ISOP technology and decarbonise ships using energy raw materials as fuel for ships.