Mitsui OSK Lines. (MOL) and its subsidiary, Ferry Sunflower Limited, are to build the first two LNG-fuelled ferries in Japan.
MOL said that it planned to order the vessels from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding next month.
Ferry Sunflower will charter the ferries upon their delivery and operate them on the Osaka-Beppu route from the end of 2022 through the first half of 2023, as replacements for vessels currently in service.
The ferries will be equipped with high-performance dual-fuel engines and will provide passengers with comfortable accommodations and reliable schedules. They will also be less noisy than current vessels.
The use of LNG fuel will achieve excellent environmental performance, reducing CO2 emissions by 20%, compared to current vessels, and virtually eliminating sulfur oxides emissions, MOL claimed.
Each 17,300 gt ferry will have a pax capacity of 763 and a truck capacity of 136.
