The ship, Ubuntu Harmony, is the first of 10 made-to-order vessels that will set sail over the course of 2023 and 2024. 

“The Ubuntu fleet is a key component of Anglo American’s ambition to achieve carbon-neutrality for its controlled ocean freight by 2040 – with an interim target to reduce emissions from these activities by 30% by 2030 … all part of Anglo American’s wider ambition to halve Scope 3 emissions by 2040,” the mining giant said in a statement. 

The company said the dual-fuelled vessels will deliver “an estimated 35% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with ships fuelled by conventional marine oil fuel”. 

“The use of LNG will also lead to a significant reduction of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from vessel exhausts, while new technology also eliminates the release of unburnt methane.”

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Capping the release of methane is crucial as this has been one of the criticisms environmentalists have made about the switch to LNG from conventional marine fuels, which is taking the shipping industry by storm. 

Anglo has a number of decarbonisation targets in its pipeline, notably a commitment to achieve, by 2040, carbon neutrality across its operations that span the globe. 

Ubuntu Harmony and its sister ships are part of this process, which is being driven by investors, mounting public concerns about climate change and looming regulatory requirements that will render companies with heavy carbon footprints uncompetitive.

“The metals and minerals we provide play an important role in helping key industries decarbonise. Transporting them in a sustainable way is a key part of this effort,” said Nolitha Fakude, chairperson of Anglo American’s South African board.

Anglo also said it was pursuing other initiatives to “green” its fleet. 

“Anglo American has established a comprehensive framework of initiatives for the decarbonisation of its maritime activities, including energy saving devices fitted to existing vessels, the use of voyage optimisation software, and a focus on exploring, trialling and adopting alternative, sustainable fuel options such as LNG, sustainable biofuel, green methanol and ammonia, and – further down the line – hydrogen,” it said. DM/BM