Japan’s first LNG-run pure car and truck carrier to be ready in October

Japan’s first LNG-run pure car and truck carrier to be ready in October

On September 1, a naming ceremony was held at Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. for a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) capable of navigating oceans with only LNG as the ship’s main fuel. The “Sakura Leader”, which was ordered to Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co. Ltd. and is scheduled to be delivered in October 2020, will be the first large LNG-powered PCTC to be built in Japan. Beginning with this ship, NYK will proceed with the replacement of vessels in its PCTC fleet with next-generation eco-friendly ships.

The “Sakura Leader” took its name from the Japanese word for “cherry blossoms,” the national flower of Japan, with a wish for realizing and passing on a flourishing environment to the next generation through eco-friendly transportation. This ship will be one of the world’s largest PCTCs, capable of transporting approximately 7,000 units (standard vehicle equivalent) per voyage, beginning with vehicles produced by the Toyota Motor Corporation.

The IMO has agreed on an ambition to reduce GHG emissions from shipping by at least 50% by 2050, and NYK has been making a proactive effort to realize environment-friendly transportation by reducing GHG emissions. In fact, in 2015 Japan’s first LNG-fueled ship, the tugboat Sakigake, was delivered, and in 2017 the world’s first purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel entered operation, which allowed NYK to expand its range of business to include LNG supply and sale. In the field of large cargo ships, NYK is positioning LNG as one of the bridge-solutions until future zero-emission ships are realized.

Sakura Leader was selected as a model project by Japan’s Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and will receive support from the ministries for technical verification of CO2 emission reductions during actual voyages.

NYK plans to switch all its future newly built PCTCs to next-generation eco-friendly vessels, such as LNG-powered ships, and aims to lead the construction of a clean transportation mode in the maritime industry. In fact, a second LNG-fueled PCTC will be delivered in 2022, and an LNG-fueled coal carrier will be delivered in 2023.

https://www.ngvjournal.com/s1-news/c7-lng-h2-blends/japans-first-lng-powered-pure-car-and-truck-carrier-will-be-ready-in-october/

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