An important step in UPM’s continuous journey towards a future beyond fossils, was the entry of seven new vessels from the Spliethoff Group into UPM’s fleet for maritime operations in Europe in 2022. The vessels – three Bore vessels and four Wijnne Barends vessels – are equipped with dual fuel engines, meaning that they can run on LNG and traditional marine gas oil. When fuelled with LNG, the vessels were expected to emit 25% less CO₂. So far, they have lived up to expectations and even exceeded them.

“After a year of operations with all seven vessels, the experience has been great,” says Lauri Rikala, Director, Global Break Bulk Shipping, UPM Logistics.

Four of the vessels are Lift-On/Lift-Off (Lo-Lo) vessels built by Wijnne Barends to transport timber, pulp and other raw forest product materials. The other three, built by Bore, are Ro-Lo vessels for flexible handling and transportation of UPM’s paper and plywood products. “Both vessel types perform as they were designed to perform,” Rikala notes. “Their cargo capacity is as expected or slightly better than we had anticipated, and fuel consumption is in line with our expectations.”

He is particularly pleased with the vessels’ cutting-edge technology which makes it possible to monitor emissions, reduce fuel consumption and to ensure a versatile use of vessels for various cargo purposes.

“One might think that the vessels carry only the cargo they are designed for, but these vessels were designed for flexibility. For example, Bore Wind did carry a full cargo of UPM’s paper products from Rauma to Rostock and sailed from there to Flushing in the Netherlands to carry a full cargo of pulp back to Rauma,” Rikala describes. “Another example is Bore Way who carried our paper and plywood products to Amsterdam, Santander, and Ferrol, and on its way to France carried our external customer’s steel. With the ability to maximise the cargo loads, we can considerably reduce both the CO₂ emissions and costs.”

The first LNG-fuelled vessel started operating for UPM in the second quarter of 2022 and the others were taken into use gradually over the next six months. Statistics comparing the emissions from UPM’s time charter fleet in European short sea trade in 2020 with 2023 show that the LNG vessels have reduced greenhouse gas emissions per transported tonne by over 26% every quarter.

Hanna Eklund, Senior Manager Safety, Security and Sustainability, UPM Logistics, highlights that the calculations show the so-called well-to-wake emissions, meaning the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the fuel sourcing phase (the "well") to the emissions generated during its operation (the "wake" phase).

“Some have raised concerns about the methane slip, so it is important to note that when we say that the emission reductions are above 26%, that is after the methane slip has been taken into account” Eklund explains, adding that all seven vessels are still not operating to full capacity, so their emission performance might improve.

Not only do LNG ships reduce the amount of CO₂ emissions released into the atmosphere, LNG also emits much less nitrogen gas (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and particles compared to traditional diesel, resulting in an over 95% reduction in sulfur and particles emissions.

“This has an important positive impact on the air quality of harbour areas” Eklund notes.

The successful integration of Spliethoff Group's LNG vessels into UPM's fleet marks a significant milestone in the company's sustainability journey. These vessels have achieved substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. As Spliethoff Group and UPM partner continue to innovate and prioritise sustainability, the positive impact on both the environment and operational efficiency is clear, paving the way for a greener future in the shipping industry.