MOL’s LNG-fueled ferry Sunflower Pirka launched

Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has held a naming and launching ceremony for Sunflower Pirka, a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled ferry under construction at Naikai Zosen Corporation.

As informed, the ferry was given the name Sunflower Pirka by Sueji Shinohara, chairman of the Hokuren Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives.

The LNG-fueled tugboat Ishin, operated by MOL Group company Nihon Tug-Boat, assisted with towing operations during the launch of the ferry. 

Sunflower Pirka is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by about 35% compared to vessels currently serving on the Hokkaido route thanks to Ishin hull form, which can use oblique headwinds as propulsion, and various other technologies, such as energy-saving devices developed by Naikai Zosen The devices are adopted in addition to the installation of high-performance engines that use LNG fuel.

The ship is slated for delivery from Naikai Zosen in April 2025, and will then enter service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Sunflower.

With the newbuilding ferry, Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki already in service on the Osaka-Beppu route since 2023, and the sister ship Sunflower Kamuy, which is scheduled to enter service in early 2025 as the first ship on the Oarai-Tomakomai route, the MOL Group will operate a fleet of four LNG-fueled ferries on East-West routes in Japan.

MOL Sunflower as a whole operates ten ferries and 5 roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships on six routes giving the company “Japan’s largest ferry fleet and most extensive route network“.