Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) has entered into the building contract for an LNG bunkering vessel with Ecobunker Shipping.
JMU said on Wednesday the vessel is built as a part of STS LNG fuel supply business in Tokyo Bay by three shareholders of Ecobunker – Sumitomo Corporation, Uyeno Transtech, and Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port Corporation.
The business will be subsidized from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism.
JMU completed the concept design for the vessel and the LNG system, and will be managing the whole project.
Hull design and construction will be subcontracted to Fukuoka Shipbuilding, and LNG tank fabrication including the LNG cargo handling system to Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Company.
LNG tank type for the vessel is of an SPB System, the original containment system for liquefied gas developed by IHI and JMU.
As for the vessel’s specs, it will be 95.57 meters long, 15.8 meters wide, have a gross tonnage of 4,100 tonnes, and a tank capacity of 2,500 cbm. Interestingly, the bunkering vessel will be able to store both LNG and low sulfur fuel oil.