Kumiai Navigation returns to KHI for one more dual-fuel LPG/ammonia carrier

Singapore’s shipping company Kumiai Navigation has returned to Japanese shipbuilder Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) to order one more dual-fuel liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)/ammonia carrier.

The vessel, Hull No. 1770, has been ordered against a minimum seven-year time charter to Canadian infrastructure company AltaGas. The 86,700-cbm ship is the second dual-fuel LPG/ammonia carrier ordered against an AltaGas charter.

According to Kumiai, AltaGas will be dedicating the ship to export LPG from western Canada to the Far East and Asia. The ship is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026.

In March 2023, the partners signed a construction deal for the first dual-fuel LPG/ammonia carrier for charter with AltaGas.

The 86,700-cbm vessel will be equipped with separate cargo tanks designed to carry LPG and ammonia at the same time.

The advantage of this dual-purpose vessel is its capability to simultaneously carry LPG, which is already used as a low-carbon energy source, and ammonia. This vessel is slated for delivery in April 2026.

The latest contract brings the order tally for this ship type at the Japanese yard to four.

To meet environmental standards being tightened globally and to implement action plans set forth in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations and other initiatives, Kawasaki plans to develop and build more dual-fuel LPG carriers.

These products include vessels for transporting liquefied hydrogen, considered to be the next-generation energy source.