日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily May 22, 2024 (Wed)

Ship scrapping: A Game-Changer for Japanese steel mills in reducing CO2 emissions

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　Early in the morning in January 1995, the sea seen from the deck was still shrouded in darkness. 　I ・・・ 続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80Early+in+the+morning+in+January+1995%2C+the+sea+seen+from+the+deck+was+still+shrouded+in+darkness.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Inside+a+Capesize+%28large+steel+raw+material+carrier%29+departing+from+Nippon+Steel+Corporation%E2%80%99s+Kimitsu+Works+%28Chiba+Prefecture%29.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80To+the+eyes+of+a+maritime+newspaper+reporter+doing+his+job+on+board+the+ship%2C+the+blast+furnaces+of+the+Kimitsu+Works+appeared+to+be+pre-modern+objects%2C+as+if+glowing+noctiluca.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Iron+is+the+nation.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+the+1990s%2C+steel+manufacturers+wielded+great+influence+as+the+largest+shippers+in+the+shipping+industry.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CThe+blast+furnace+is+the+symbol+of+a+steel+manufacturer.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+captain+of+a+ship+transporting+iron+ore+from+Western+Australia+told+this+reporter+without+a+shred+of+doubt+as+he+watched+smoke+billowing+from+a+blast+furnace.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Prime+Minister+Suga%E2%80%99s+CN+Declaration+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CSteel+will+always+be+with+us.+From+the+time+you+wake+up+in+the+morning+until+you+arrive+at+work+or+school%2C+you+can%E2%80%99t+get+anywhere+without+steel%2C+in+the+form+of+trains%2C+buses%2C+cars%2C+etc.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80People+in+the+steel+industry+all+speak+of+their+pride+in+%E2%80%9Csteel.%E2%80%9C+There+is+no+doubt+that+iron+has+driven+the+world+through+all+periods%2C+at+times+of+war+and+upheaval%2C+in+military+demand+and+in+the+Industrial+Revolution.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Steel+will+be+with+us.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80While+that+fact+remains+unchanged%2C+the+way+steel+is+manufactured+is+now+on+the+verge+of+major+change.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Environmental+issues%2C+which+were+merely+catchphrases+until+the+early+2000s%2C+have+become+a+factor+forcing+major+changes+in+corporate+activity+since+the+2020s.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+October+26%2C+2020%2C+then+Prime+Minister+Yoshihide+Suga+declared+in+his+policy+speech+that+Japan+would+aim+to+achieve+carbon+neutrality+%28CN%29+by+2050.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80This+served+as+a+trigger+and+since+then%2C+all+industries+have+been+required+to+reduce+CO2+%28carbon+dioxide%29+and+other+greenhouse+gas+emissions.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+shipping+industry+is+no+exception+to+this.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80It+is+estimated+that+the+annual+CO2+emissions+from+the+world%E2%80%99s+ships+are+equivalent+to+the+amount+emitted+by+the+country+of+Germany.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+shipping+industry+has+also+introduced+LNG+%28liquefied+natural+gas%29+fuel%2C+and+various+marine+fuels+such+as+green+methanol+and+ammonia+are+being+researched+in+preparation+for+the+CN+of+2050.+However%2C+we+are+still+searching+for+a+decisive+factor.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+the+other+hand%2C+the+steel+industry+made+management+decisions+toward+decarbonization+much+earlier+than+the+shipping+industry.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80One+of+these+is+the+abolition+of+blast+furnaces%2C+which+are+the+%E2%80%9Csymbol%E2%80%9D+of+steel+manufacturers%2C+and+a+shift+to+electric+furnaces.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Steelmakers+have+outlined+several+roadmaps+for+achieving+net-zero+CO2+emissions+by+2050.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Introduction+of+a+manufacturing+method+that+uses+DRI+%28direct+reduced+iron%29+and+HBI+%28hot+briquetted+iron%29+made+from+solidified+DRI+as+raw+materials%2C+and+100%25+hydrogen-reduced+iron.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Among+these%2C+the+most+effective+measure+at+present+is+the+shift+from+blast+furnaces+to+electric+furnaces.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Blast+furnaces+use+coke+as+a+reducing+agent+to+extract+enough+iron+from+the+iron+ore.+During+this+process%2C+the+oxygen+and+carbon+contained+in+the+iron+oxide+fuse+to+produce+CO2.+The+process+of+producing+1+ton+of+steel+produces+approximately+2+ton+of+CO2.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80As+of+2020%2C+the+industrial+sectors+account+for+34%25+of+Japan%E2%80%99s+total+CO2+emissions.+Of+this%2C+steel+manufacturers%E2%80%99+CO2+emissions+are+estimated+to+account+for+approximately+40%25.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Blast+furnaces+have+long+been+the+backbone+of+steel+manufacturers%2C+as+they+can+produce+high-quality+steel+for+automobiles+and+other+uses+that+cannot+be+made+in+electric+furnaces.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Electric+furnaces+can+reduce+CO2+emissions+to+one-quarter+of+those+of+blast+furnaces.+The+raw+material+is+so-called+%E2%80%9Cscrap+iron%2C%E2%80%9C+such+as+waste+from+construction+sites%2C+automobiles%2C+home+appliances%2C+etc.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80There+was+a+perception+that+scrap+iron+procured+from+the+city+contained+impurities+%28trap+elements%29+and+was+therefore+inferior+in+quality+to+that+produced+by+blast+furnaces.+The+equation+is+that+blast+furnaces+%3D+high-quality+steel%2C+and+electric+furnaces+%3D+general-purpose+steel.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Nippon+Steel+Corporation+and+JFE%2C+too+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+its+%E2%80%9CCarbon+Neutral+Vision+2050%2C%E2%80%9C+Nippon+Steel+Corporation+aims+to+produce+high-quality+steel+using+large+electric+furnaces.+In+fact%2C+Nippon+Steel+Corporation+has+built+a+new+electric+furnace+at+its+Setouchi+Works+%28Hirohata+area%29+and+plans+to+convert+one+blast+furnace+at+its+Kyushu+Works+%28Yahata+area%29+to+a+large+electric+furnace+by+2030.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80JFE+Steel+is+also+considering+shutting+down+one+of+the+three+blast+furnaces+currently+in+operation+in+the+Kurashiki+district+of+West+Japan+Works+and+introducing+an+electric+furnace+when+they+will+be+renovated.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+shift+by+steel+manufacturers+from+blast+furnaces+to+electric+furnaces+will+significantly+change+the+manufacturing+structure+of+crude+steel+production+in+Japan.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Greenspan+prophecy+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80It+was+then+Federal+Reserve+Board+Chairman+Greenspan+who+said%2C+%E2%80%9CScrap+steel+prices+are+a+leading+indicator+of+the+economy.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+fact%2C+scrap+iron+prices+had+been+at+an+all-time+high+of+around+70%2C000+yen+per+ton+until+July+2008%2C+just+before+the+Global+Financial+Crisis%2C+but+then+plummeted+to+40%2C000+yen+in+August%2C+just+after+the+Crisis+hit.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80According+to+global+steel+scrap+supply+and+demand+trends+%28by+the+Japan+Ferrous+Raw+Materials+Association%29%2C+Japan%E2%80%99s+annual+steel+scrap+generation+as+of+2020+was+approximately+34.8+million+tons.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Although+scrap+steel+is+one+of+the+few+%E2%80%9Cdomestic+resources%E2%80%9C+for+a+country+with+no+domestic+resources%2C+during+the+same+period%2C+9.37+million+tons+were+exported%2C+resulting+in+an+export+surplus+of+9.33+million+tons.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+evaluation+of+this+scrap+iron+may+drastically+change+in+the+future.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+plans+by+blast+furnace+manufacturers+to+shift+to+electric+furnaces+are+just+the+beginning.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+problem+is+which+%E2%80%9Csteel%E2%80%9C+to+recycle+and+how.+%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%86+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Japan+is+the+world%E2%80%99s+third+largest+shipowner+after+Greece+and+China.+Ship+scrap+is+a+valuable+domestic+resource+and+is+attracting+attention+as+a+raw+material+for+electric+furnaces.+The+current+situation+and+outlook+for+ship+scrapping+are+reviewed.+%3Cbr%3E%28Hirofumi+Yamamoto%29+%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDisclaimer%3A+The+English+translations+provided+through+this+service+are+the+result+of+translations+made+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+or+automatically+and+mechanically+translated+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+using+an+automated+translation+system+provided+by+a+third+party+after+certain+processing+of+the+Japanese+content+licensed+by+the+third+party.+In+terms+of+the+English+translation%2C+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+and+MarineNet+Co.%2C+Ltd.+make+no+warranty+or+burden+of+any+kind%2C+express+or+implied%2C+including+its+accuracy%2C+reliability%2C+validity+or+fitness+for+a+particular+purpose.+MarineNet+Users+should+fully+understand+that+this+service+uses+an+automated+translation+system+that+automatically+and+mechanically+recognizes+and+analyzes+information+and+produces+results.+The+users+should+understand+the+above+conditions+before+using+this+service.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%8B%E9%A0%85%EF%BC%9A%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E4%BB%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%BD%9C%E6%88%90%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%80%81%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%B1%E8%AB%BE%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E3%81%91%E3%81%9F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%92%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%87%A6%E7%90%86%E3%82%92%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8C%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%83%BB%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%80%81%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E5%BD%93%E8%A9%B2%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%80%81%E3%81%9D%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E4%BF%A1%E9%A0%BC%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E5%A6%A5%E5%BD%93%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E7%9B%AE%E7%9A%84%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E9%81%A9%E5%90%88%E6%80%A7%E3%82%92%E5%90%AB%E3%82%81%E3%80%81%E6%98%8E%E7%A4%BA%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E9%BB%99%E7%A4%BA%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82%E3%80%81%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E4%BF%9D%E8%A8%BC%E3%82%82%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%80%81%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A4%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E3%82%9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【船舶スクラップが日本を救う】(上)電炉シフト、温暖化防止の鍵

2024/05/22(水)

日本海事新聞 JMD

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