MOL's Second LNG-Fueled Ferry Enters Service
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that the second of Japan's first two LNG-fueled ferries, the Sunflower Murasaki, has entered service.
The vessel is owned by MOL and operated by its group company Ferry Sunflower. The vessel is a sister ship to the Sunflower Kurenai, which began operation in January, and will sail the Osaka-Beppu route between Sunflower Ferry Terminal (Osaka) and Beppu International Tourist Port (Oita) as a replacement for the existing vessel Sunflower Cobalt.
The 17,114GT Sunflower Murasaki has a passenger capacity of 716, truck loading capacity of 137 units, and a speed of 22.5 knots. Compared to earlier ferries, the new vessel has greater capacity to load trucks and provides a larger, more comfortable room for truck drivers. Other public areas are also larger.
Another two LNG-fuelled ferries will be delivered in 2025 to replace current vessels in service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route.
The MOL Group set a target to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 and is promoting the wider adoption of LNG fuel through development and advancement of an LNG fuel supply system in Japan and overseas.
Earlier this month, MOL announced it had joined the Methane Abatement in Maritime Innovation Initiative (MAMII) led by Safetytech Accelerator, a non-profit established by Lloyd's Register and the Lloyd's Register Foundation.
MAMII was formed in September 2022 and currently has 14 member companies who aim to identify, accelerate and advocate technology solutions to measure and manage methane emissions. Through its activities in MAMII, MOL aims to minimize the environmental impact of methane slip in shipping whilst aiding to the transition to further low and decarbonization of LNG-fueled vessels.
MOL is also working with other partners on a technology development project aimed at significantly reducing methane slip on LNG-fueled vessels by utilizing catalysts and improving engine's combustion process, and its world's first methane oxidation catalyst system has already received Approval in Principle. Factory tests will commence from the middle of 2023 and onboard trial will be conducted from the second half of 2024. MOL is also undertaking initiatives aimed at early introduction of the use of bio-methane and synthetic-methane.