Kawasaki Heavy bags order for LPG/ammonia carrier from BGN INT DMCC

Japanese shipbuilder Kawasaki Heavy Industries has won a shipbuilding contract for an 86,700 cmb liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied ammonia gas (NH3) carrier from Dubai-based energy company BGN INT DMCC.

The vessel is equipped with separate cargo tanks designed to carry LPG and NH3 at the same time. It will be able to run on low-sulfur fuel oil and LPG as fuel.

“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 NH3, a new fuel contributing to the establishment of a decarbonized society. Another feature is the greater capacity of the cargo tanks as compared to conventional carriers, which was achieved without significantly changing the vessel’s length, breadth, or other main specifications,” Kawasaki said.

Specifications

• Length overall Approx. 230.00 m
• Breadth 37.20 m
• Depth 21.90 m
• Summer draft 11.65 m
• Tank capacity 86,700 m3

The vessel design complies with the SOx emission standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase 3 regulations. Specifically, for the construction of vessels such as large LPG carriers and LNG carriers in 2022 and later, vessels have to have 30% lower CO₂ emissions than the baseline.

Kawasaki plans to complete the construction of the vessels at its Sakaide Works in 2025.

This is the first LPG/NH3 carrier for BGN INT DMCC. However, it is the second contract for an LPG/NH3 carrier Kawasaki won this year and the 11th LPG/NH3 carrier to be constructed by Kawasaki. In January 2023, the shipbuilder secured an order from compatriot Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) to construct an 86,700 m³ LPG and ammonia carrier powered by LPG fuel.

The contract is being announced on the back of the delivery of a dual-fuel LPG carrier using LPG as fuel for NYK, named Lantana Planet in January 2023, and 81,000 dwt bulk carrier Navios Meridian built for Japan-based ship owner and manager Million Comets.

The Japanese shipbuilder has set out to develop and build more LPG-fueled LPG carriers and other commercial vessels that meet environmental standards in line with the growing demand and ever-stricter environmental regulations in the maritime sector. These include vessels for transporting liquefied hydrogen, which is considered to be the next-generation energy source.