On 30th August, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) held naming and launching ceremonies for the second of Japan’s first two LNG-fuelled ferries.
They were ordered from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works.
MOL Chairman, Junichiro Ikeda, named the latest vessel ‘Sunflower Murasaki’. She is a sistership of the ‘Sunflower Kurenai,’ which was named and launched in March of this year.
After delivery from Mitsubishi in March, 2023, the second ferry is due to enter service on the Osaka/Beppu route, operated by Ferry Sunflower.
Compared to the vessels currently in service, the new ferries will offer greater capacity for both cargo and passengers.
MOL has ordered four LNG-fuelled ferries. Two more will be built following the Sunflower series. The other vessels will operate on the Oarai/Tomakomai route, operated by MOL Ferry Co Ltd in 2025.
