Japan’s first LNG-fuelled ferry launched
The christening ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant at MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi. The handover is scheduled for December 2022, following completion of interior work and sea trials.
The new vessel will go into service from January 2023 on a regular route between Osaka and Beppu operated by Oita-based Ferry Sunflower Limited, replacing the Sunflower Ivory and Sunflower Cobalt ferries in service since 1997.
The Sunflower Kurenai is 199.9 metres long and 28.0 metres wide, with gross tonnage of approximately 17,300. The vessel has capacity to accommodate 716 passengers, an estimated 137 13-meter trucks, and roughly 100 passenger cars.
The main engine is a Wärtsilä 31DF engine – the first of its kind featured on a domestic ferry – that achieves a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and close to zero SOx emissions. Wärtsilä was awarded the contract to supply a complete LNG package for the vessel and a sister vessel under construction in 2020.
Compared to earlier ferries, the Sunflower Kurenai also features significantly more loading capacity for trucks, a more spacious lounge for truck drivers, and substantially greater space per passenger. Public areas include enlarged bathing facilities, a more spacious restaurant, and an atrium extending through three stories.
