Dual-fuel LNG bunkering vessel to serve western Japan

The shipyard concluded a contract with KEYS Bunkering West Japan for construction of the 3,500m3 capacity vessel. In addition to being Japan’s first dual-fuel LNG bunkering vessel, it will also be the first bunker vessel to offer LNG bunkering in western Japan. KEYS Bunkering West Japan is a joint venture company established in February 2022 to supply LNG fuel for ships in the Kyushu and Setouchi Regions, with investment from Kyushu Electric Power Company, NYK Line, ITOCHU ENEX, and SAIBU GAS CO.

The 82.4 metre vessel will be built at the Enoura Plant at MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with delivery scheduled for March 2024. It will have an electric main engine, and be equipped with a dual fuel engine capable of using both LNG and heavy oil.

Earlier this month, NYK took delivery of Plumeria Leader, an LNG-fuelled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) built at the Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding, Japan.