South Korean steelmaker Pohang Iron and Steel Co. (POSCO) has announced that it has completed the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered bulk carrier shipment for overseas iron ore, marking the start of eco-friendly shipment operations.
The first LNG-powered bulk carrier, HL Green, departed from South Korea last December and arrived at POSO’s Gwangyang Works loaded with 180,000 mt of iron ore from Australia in January. The LNG fuel reduces emissions of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide by 85 percent to 99 percent.
Meanwhile, on January 26, another eco-friendly vessel, HL ECO, which was constructed with HL Green, arrived at Gwangyang Works loaded with coal from Australia.
In December 2018, POSCO decided to preemptively replace two of its existing raw material carriers with LNG-powered vessels. POSCO has also installed exhaust gas cleaning systems on 21 out of 38 overseas raw material carriers. The remaining ships will be replaced with eco-friendly ships, including LNG-powered ones, by cooperating with shipping companies and ship makers.