K Line welcomes new LNG-powered 7,000 CEU car carrier

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has taken delivery of Pontus Highway, a 7,000 CEU car carrier powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

As disclosed, the delivery ceremony for the vessel, which was built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu), took place on November 28. 2024.

The ship is mainly fueled by liquefied natural gas, which is expected to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 25% to 30%, and emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) by almost 100%.

Furthermore, the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are to be reduced by approximately 75% compared to conventional vessels using heavy fuel oil. According to K Line, this will enable the car carrier to become compliant with IMO Tier III NOx regulations.

The vessel is equipped with the latest dual-fuel electronic control engine, 7X62DF-2.1 iCER, developed by Swiss engine manufacturer WinGD, which will reduce methane slip when using LNG fuel, K Line noted.

The Japanese shipping company set the 2030 interim target of improving CO2 emissions efficiency by 50% compared with 2008, surpassing the IMO target of a 40% improvement. Moreover, the firm established a new target for 2050 as “The Challenge of Achieving Net-Zero GHG Emissions”.

K Line plans to introduce new fuels that have a low environmental impact to achieve these goals. In order to achieve this, a few months ago, the company completed its first trial use of marine B100 biofuel on the car carrier Apollon Highway.

The biofuel was supplied by energy management company World Fuel Services and delivered to the car carrier at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on March 31, 2024.

Marine biofuel is said to have the potential to become an environmentally friendly alternative fuel as it will be able to reduce CO2 by about 80-90% in the well-to-wake (from fuel generation to consumption) process without changing current engine specifications.

Meanwhile, the shipowner welcomed another car carrier to its fleet, namely the LNG-fueled Nereus Highway. The ship is the first LNG-fueled vessel also built by the Chinese shipyard for K Line as part of the order from September 2021.

Classed by DNV, the newbuild measures nearly 200 meters in length and 38 meters in width. It runs on a dual-fuel WinGD 7X62DF-2.1. engine, the same engine installed onboard its sister ship, Pontus Highway.