![\"World\u2019s](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Worlds-First-GreenForge%25C2%25AE-Shafts.png?resize=1200%2C628\")
BERG Propulsion is making history by offering the shipping industry its first opportunity to select propeller shafts produced using the climate-neutral GreenForge\u00ae process.<\/p>\n
As the maritime sector faces increasing carbon pricing, this breakthrough provides a sustainable alternative to conventional steel production.<\/p>\n
Three new Ro-Ro vessels from Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), set to enter service in 2026 for transatlantic transport of aircraft parts, are already designed for low-emission operations.<\/p>\n
They will feature wind-assisted propulsion through rotor sails, alongside hybrid propulsion, power management, and control technology from BERG.<\/p>\n
Additionally, BERG will supply these vessels with propeller shafts made from recycled scrap steel, manufactured using Bj\u00f6rneborg Steel\u2019s GreenForge\u00ae process.<\/p>\n
This innovative approach relies on renewable electricity and replaces traditional propane with fossil-free biogas rDME or bio-propane.<\/p>\n
The process has been independently verified to reduce CO2 emissions by 95% compared to standard methods, with the remaining emissions offset to ensure full climate neutrality.<\/p>\n
Bj\u00f6rneborg Steel estimates that manufacturing the six propeller shafts for LDA using GreenForge\u00ae will cut CO2 emissions by 160 tonnes compared to conventional production methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cBERG is delighted to work with Sweden\u2019s cutting-edge steel industry and pioneer the use of maritime GreenForge\u00ae. \u201d said Kajsa de Mello, Operations Director, BERG Propulsion. \u201cWe are proud to be the first supplier in the world to offer customers propeller shafts using this process. It is fitting that the first sea-going application should be low emission ships.\u201d<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s first climate-neutral propeller shaft for LDA is set for delivery from Bj\u00f6rneborg Steel to the BERG facility in H\u00f6n\u00f6, Sweden, in March 2025, with five additional shafts arriving by the end of June.<\/p>\n
The European Union\u2019s \u2018Clean Industrial Deal\u2019 aims to boost European industries by promoting renewable energy, reducing barriers to clean technology investment, and providing financial incentives to cut carbon emissions.<\/p>\n
Stricter regulations on industrial CO2 emissions are also expected to enhance the competitive advantage of sustainable processes like GreenForge\u00ae. As carbon emission rights are phased out, EU steelmakers must either transition to climate-neutral production or face increasing costs and penalties. By 2030, Bj\u00f6rneborg Steel predicts that emission-free steelmaking will become more cost-effective than traditional methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sustainability case for carbon neutral steel is compelling and, while it is currently at the premium end of the market, its use will offer marine equipment buyers a route around escalating fossil-based production costs,\u201d de Mello added. \u201cBERG is proud to lead where others will have to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
H\u00e5kan Dedorsson, CEO of Bj\u00f6rneborg Steel, emphasized the importance of industry-wide collaboration in advancing sustainability: \u201cLike other industries, maritime has its share of sustainability leaders and stakeholders open to the innovations needed for the challenges ahead. We are ramping up production based on the cutting-edge GreenForge\u00ae process, subject to the availability of biogases and we look forward to helping BERG\u2019s customers make the green choice that will benefit generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Based on demand, Bj\u00f6rneborg Steel aims to transition its entire production to the GreenForge\u00ae process by 2027.<\/p>\n