Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to construct LNG bunkering vessel

Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will build an LNG bunkering vessel, the first to operate in western Japan.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has signed a contract with KEYS Bunkering for the construction of a liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel.

The shipbuilder will work on the vessel at the Enoura Plant at MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard in Yamaguchi Prefecture. According to the plan, it will complete the construction and hand it over in March 2024.

LNG bunkering vessels supply LNG to LNG-fueled vessels. The use of LNG propulsion for ships is one of the solutions to reduce GHG emissions. This vessel will have an electric main engine and a dual-fuel engine that can use both LNG and heavy oil. It is the first LNG bunkering vessel of this kind in Japan.

Moreover,  the vessel will become the first LNG bunkering vessel operated in West Japan.

When operating in gas mode, it will significantly reduce emissions of CO2, NOx, SOx, and particulate matter.

KEYS Bunkering West Japan is a joint venture company established in February 2022. Its goal is to supply LNG fuel for ships in the Kyushu and Setouchi Regions. The JV has investments from Kyushu Electric Power, NYK Line, ITOCHU ENEX, and SAIBU GAS.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, as part of MHI Group’s strategic initiatives for energy transition, says it will make use of the gas handling technologies and experience it has accumulated from building LNG carrier vessels.

Through this business project involving LNGl, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, as a maritime system integrator, aims to further the decarbonisation of the marine industry in an effort for a carbon-neutral world.