Yokohama-based Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has concluded a contract with Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) to build two LNG-fuelled ferries, the first to be ordered in Japan.
These vessels will be built at the Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works, with completion and handover scheduled for the end of 2022 to early 2023.
Ferry Sunflower Limited based in Oita, will operate the ferries on its Osaka/Beppu route.
The ferries will be about 199.9 m long and 28 m wide, with a gt of about 17,300 tonnes. They will have maximum prescribed capacity for 763 pax, and carrying capacity for around 136 13 m trucks and 100 passenger cars.
The main power plant will be a high-performance dual-fuel engine able to operate on both LNG and A‐type heavy oil, the first for a Japanese ferry.
Carrying capacity for trucks has been significantly increased compared to existing vessels, with an expanded driver’s lounge and more area per passenger. The ferries will meet the need for a modal shift in transportation and represent an evolution in casual cruising, with relaxed and open public spaces including an expanded bath and restaurant, and an atrium extending through three floors, Mitsubishi said.
