Sunflower Kurenai: MOL Names Japan’s 1st LNG-fueled Ferry

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) on Thursday held a naming and launching ceremony for the first of Japan’s first two LNG-fueled ferries.

The ceremony was held at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works Enoura Plant, and the newbuilding ferry was named “Sunflower Kurenai” by the mayor of Beppu City Yasuhiro Nagano. 

The vessel is expected to enter service on the Osaka-Beppu route, operated by Ferry Sunflower Co., Ltd. as an alternative of the vessel currently in service in January 2023, after it is delivered from Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.

 "Compared to the vessels in service, the new ferry will offer greater transport capacity and convenience for both cargo and passenger transport. In freight transportation, it will significantly increase the number of trucks to be loaded and expand the driver’s room to provide a driver-friendly space. In addition, the floor area of the Grand Bathroom is doubled and the number of seats in the restaurant is enlarged 1.5 times, while spacious and open public space including a three-layer atrium are newly created," MOL said.

According to MOL, the Sunflower Kurenai will be Japan’s first ferry adopting the environmental-friendly specifications, as it is equipped with a high-performance dual-fuel engine, which can run on both LNG and Heavy Fuel Oil. In addition, LNG is expected to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by about 25%, and sulfur oxide (SOx) by virtually 100%, the company said. MOL plans to launch around 90 LNG-fueled vessels by 2030 as an initiative to introduce clean alternative fuels.

In the Ferry Business, following the Sunflower Kurenai and the second Sunflower Murasaki, two cutting-edge LNG-powered ferries are planned to be built to replace the ferries in service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Ferry Co., Ltd. in 2025.