Mitsui to Build Japan's 1st LNG-Fired Ferries

Japanese shipping group Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has announced plans to build Japan’s first two LNG-fuelled ferries.

The Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki vessels will be ordered from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and chartered by MOL’s subsidiary Ferry Sunflower, the firm said in a statement on November 20. They will operate along the route between Osaki and Beppu from the end of 2022 through the first half of 2023, replacing ferries currently in service.

According to MOL, the dual-fuel engine vessels will each carry up to 763 passengers, travel at a speed of up to 22.5 knots and have a 17,300 gross tonnage. They will produce 20% less carbon dioxide than the vessels they are replacing, and virtually zero sulphur oxides.