NEWS RELEASE
Release Time

14:30 AEST

Date

Wednesday, 10 August 2022

BHP, Pan Pacific Copper and Norsepower partner to harness the power of windassisted propulsion
BHP has partnered with Pan Pacific Copper (PPC) – a member of JX Nippon Mining& Metals group, and Norsepower – the leading global provider of auxiliary windpropulsion systems, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime
transportation between BHP’s mines in Chile and PPC’s smelters in Japan. The
parties are conducting a technical assessment and plan a retrofit installation of windassisted propulsion system onboard the M/V Koryu, a combination carrier operated
by Nippon Marine – a member of SENKO group (shares hold by SENKO 60%, JX
Nippon Mining & Metals 40%).
BHP and PPC have multi-year agreements for delivery of copper concentrates fromChile to Japan as well as sulphuric acid from Japan to Chile, making the cargocapacity utilization of M/V Koryu (a 53,762 deadweight tonne combination carrier)one of the highest in the industry.
Norsepower’s Rotor Sails installation – a "push-button wind propulsion” system andestimated to be around ten times more efficient than a conventional sail that requires
no reefing or crew attention when in operation – is scheduled for completion by thethird quarter of 2023, which is expected to make M/V Koryu the cleanest vessel in its
category when measured for GHG emissions intensity.
Norsepower’s Rotor Sails are modernized versions of Flettner rotors, and thetechnology is based on the Magnus effect that harnesses wind to maximize ship fuelefficiency. When wind conditions are favorable, Rotor Sails allow the main engines tobe throttled back, saving fuel and reducing emissions, while also reducing power
needed to maintain speed and voyage time.

Norsepower’s Rotor Sail, with a tilting foundation, will replace one of the deck cranes
in a first-of-its-kind installation onboard MV Koryu

BHP Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “Identifying and implementing
innovative and sustainable solutions through our 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 enablefurther GHG emissions reduction in our supply chain and add to the already strong
partnership between BHP and PPC.”JX Nippon Mining & Metals Deputy Chief Executive Officer / PPC President, Kazuhiro
Hori said “PPC and BHP has been sharing the mission to accelerate the activities for
decarbonization in line with our respective climate targets and goals. The Koryu
project is a good example of our collaboration and valuable step that proves
eagerness by both companies to establish ecosystem partnerships to take on theclimate challenge. We are looking forward to further developing the partnership withBHP in various areas.”
Norsepower CSO, Jukka Kuuskoski, said: “Our vision is to set the standard inbringing sailing back to shipping, and empower the maritime industry towards
reaching the goal of zero carbon emissions. As fuel prices increase and a carbon
levy is initiated, investing in technologies which have proven emissions reductions
and fuel savings is essential for long term commercial success. Working with BHP,
PPC and Nippon Marine demonstrates the increased commitment to greener
operations, particularly within the bulk carrier market. We look forward to completing
the installation and seeing the results.”
This latest partnership with PPC and Norsepower follows BHP’s collaborationagreements in the maritime decarbonisation segment that includes the first marine
biofuel trial involving an ocean-going vessel bunkered in Singapore, taking delivery of
the first of five LNG-fuelled Newcastlemax bulk carriers and joining a consortium toassess the development of an iron ore Green Corridor between Australia and EastAsia. BHP is also a founding member of the Global Maritime Decarbonisation Centrein Singapore.
JX Nippon Mining & Metals group has declared the target of net-zero CO2 emissions
by fiscal 2050 and is further accelerating its action to reduce CO2 emissions ofScope 3 including raw material production and logistics throughout the entire supplychain. Also, on 3rd August, JX Nippon Mining & Metals released “Sustainable CopperVision”. Joining this partnership is a part of the activities of “Reduce Copper’s Carbon
Foot Print (CFP)” that is one of the “Four Initiatives” committed to take.
Ends.

About BHP
BHP is a leading global resources company with approximately 80,000 employees andcontractors, primarily in Australia and the Americas. BHP’s products are sold worldwide, and
it is among the world’s top producers of major commodities, including iron ore, copper,nickel, and metallurgical coal.
Read more about our approach to climate change: www.bhp.com/climate

About PPCPan Pacific Copper, a joint venture of JX Nippon Mining & Metals (67.8%) and Mitsui
Kinzoku (32.2%), is a supplier of nonferrous materials covering areas of operations from raw
materials procurement to smelting/processing outsourcing and product marketing ofnonferrous metals including copper as the main material.
PPC follows the approach to climate change by JX Nippon Mining & Metals: www.nmm.jxgroup.co.jp/english/sustainabilityreport/

About Norsepower
Norsepower Oy Ltd is a Finnish clean technology and engineering company pioneeringmodern auxiliary wind propulsion for the global maritime industry. Norsepower’s Rotor Sail
Solution is a proven, low-maintenance, easy to use, and reliable fuel saving technology,
supporting the decarbonisation of the shipping industry.
Since its establishment in 2012, Norsepower has generated more than €20 million of fundingand has now installed Rotor Sails onboard seven vessels, including the latest installation onthe MV Berlin. Each installation has made significant reductions to fuel costs and emissions,confirmed by independent verifiers such as ABB, NAPA and Lloyd’s Register. Other
shipowners, charterers, and shipyards have been convinced of Rotor Sail technology’s
benefits and are taking steps to study the technical and economic feasibility of windpropulsion on their fleet based on these positive results.
For more information on the Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution, please visit
www.norsepower.com.

Media Relations
PPCYosuke Sugenoya / Kenjiro Takamoto
T: (+81) 3 6433 6600
E: sugenoya.yosuke@jxgr.com /takamoto.kenjiro@jxgr.com

Norsepower

Kerry MarshallBLUE Communnications
T: (+44) 7972 345822
E: Kerry.marshall@blue-comms.com

BHP

Gabrielle Notley
Tel: +61 3 9609 3830 Mobile: +61 411 071 715
Email: media.relations@bhp.com