BHP has partnered with Pan Pacific Copper (PPC) – a member of JX Nippon Mining & Metals group – and with auxiliary wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime transportation between its mines in Chile and PPC’s smelters in Japan.
According to BHP’s statement, the parties are conducting a technical assessment and planning a retrofit installation of a wind-assisted propulsion system onboard the M/V Koryu, a combination carrier operated by Nippon Marine.
Nippon Marine is a member of SENKO group (shares held by SENKO 60%, JX Nippon Mining & Metals 40%).
BHP and PPC have multi-year agreements for the delivery of copper concentrates from Chile to Japan as well as sulphuric acid from Japan to Chile, making the cargo capacity utilization of M/V Koryu one of the highest in the industry.
Norsepower’s Rotor Sails installation – which is estimated to be approximately ten times more efficient than a conventional sail and requires no reefing or crew attention when in operation – is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2023, making M/V Koryu the cleanest vessel in its category when measured for GHG emissions intensity.
BHP Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said identifying and implementing innovative and sustainable solutions through the company’s strong commodity and supply chain partnerships remain essential in supporting BHP’s decarbonisation ambitions.
“We look forward to working with PPC on the wind-assisted propulsion system to enable further GHG emissions reduction in our supply chain and add to the already strong partnership between BHP and PPC,” she concluded.
