NYK Line recycles ship lashing belts into solid fuel

NYK Line is transforming well-worn vehicle lashing belts previously used on its operated car carriers into solid fuel.

Japanese shipping major NYK Line has teamed up with NYK Trading Corporation, Azbil Yamatake Friendly, and Kayama Kogyo on recycling well-worn vehicle lashing belts that had passed their expiration dates for use on NYK-operated car carriers.

Under the partnership, the used belts will be recycled into solid fuel. Refuse-derived paper and plastics densified fuel (RPF fuel) is made mainly from recovered paper and waste plastics that are difficult to recycle. These materials are processed and compacted into solid fuel pellets or briquettes. It has a high calorific value and is used as a substitute for fossil fuels such as coal and coke.

Namely, Azbil Yamatake Friendly will collect and separate the lashing belts into metal parts and belts. Kayama Kogyo will then produce RPF fuel* from the plastic belts.

NYK Line said that approximately 200,000 lashing belts are disposed of annually in the entire NYK-operated car carrier fleet. If all those belts are recycled, they can be converted into approximately 20 tons of RPF fuel.

When recycling started on April 6, about 27,000 used lashing belts were collected from the car carrier Sagittarius Leader at the port of Nagoya.

As informed, employees with intellectual disabilities separate the metal and belts at Azbil Yamatake Friendly, and foreign technical interns are involved in RPF fuel production at Kayama Kogyo.