NYK Line welcomes fifth LNG-powered car carrier

On 24 July, Freesia Leader, the fifth LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) operated by NYK, arrived at the port of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture for a delivery ceremony.

After arriving at the Port of Nagoya, the vessel received LNG fuel from Kaguya, an LNG-bunkering ship operated by Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corporation, a joint venture owned by NYK and other companies.

The ship is the third of four LNG-fueled PCTCs constructed by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Nanjing) Co. 

The new 200-meter long PCTC was named after the freesia flower in the hope of realizing and passing on a prosperous global environment through eco-friendly transportation.

Freesia Leader, with a capacity of 7,000 CEU, will be engaged in the transportation of finished vehicles for the Toyota Motor Corporation and other customers seeking to reduce their environmental impact in logistics.

NYK has set a long-term target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2050 for the NYK Group’s oceangoing business and aims at launching zero-emission ships that run on low-environmental-load marine fuels, such as ammonia or hydrogen, in the future.

NYK is positioning LNG, a low-carbon marine fuel, as a bridge-solution until future zero-emission ships are realized. The company plans to take delivery of a total of 20 new LNG-fueled PCTCs by 2028 under the Sail GREEN.

To remind, NYK received the first LNG-fuelled PCTC from China Merchants in February this year. The 7,000-CEU car carrier Jasmine Leader was ordered back in 2021, and it is assigned for the transportation of vehicles between Europe and the Middle East.