Mitsui OSK Lines and its partners have taken the delivery of what they say is Japan’s first LNG-powered coastal bulk carrier.
Higaki Shipbuilding’s Namikata shipyard hosted the official naming and delivery ceremony for the 6,550-gt Ise Mirai on December 11.
The vessel belongs to a joint venture consisting of MOL’s coastal shipping unit, Chubu Electric’s unit Techno Chubu, and coastal vessel owner Kyodo Kaiun.
Furthermore, the ship will transport coal from Chubu Coal Centre at Yokkaichi port to Jera’s Hekinan coal-fired power plant, Japan’s largest such facility.
The trio plans to fuel the coastal carrier at Yokkaichi port using a truck-to-ship bunkering method but also with LNG stored at Jera’s Kawagoe import terminal via a shore-to-ship method.
