NYK’s fourth LNG-powered pure car and truck carrier, Wild Rose Leader, has completed the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation at Japan’s Nagoya port.
According to a statement by NYK, the LNG-powered PCTC entered the ports of Nagoya on May 10 and Yokkaichi on May 15 for the first time.
The day after entering the port of Nagoya, Wild Rose Leader received LNG from Japan’s first LNG bunkering vessel, Kaguya.
NYK is also a partner in the venture that owns the bunkering ship, Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan. The other partners include Jera, Toyota Tsusho, and K Line.
This was the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering to ever occur at the Nagoya port, NYK said.
On May 12 at the port of Nagoya, the vessel loaded vehicles and equipment handled by Isewan Terminal Service, and on May 15 at the port of Yokkaichi, the vessel loaded vehicles made by Honda Motor, NYK said.
NYK took delivery of this vessel from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing on April 20.
The vessel features WinGD’s 7X62DF-2.1 two-stroke engines coupled with shaft generators, DC-links, and battery systems.
China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing delivered the first vessel in this batch, Jasmine Leader, on January 31.
NYK is positioning LNG fuel as one of the bridge solutions until future zero-emission ships are realized, and plans to take delivery of a total of 20 new LNG-fueled car carriers by 2028.
The firm now has four LNG-powered PCTCs in its fleet.
NYK took delivery of Japan’s first LNG-powered PCTC, Sakura Leader, in October 2020, followed by its second PCTC, Plumeria Leader, in March last year.
