Under the zero-emission accelerating ship finance programme, jointly operated by the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) and ClassNK, the Japanese classification society has evaluated the hydrogen-fuelled demonstration oil tanker ‘Kikou Maru’, owned by Uyeno Transtech.
The evaluation result was the highest rating of ‘S’, and DBJ provided financing to Uyeno Transtech. Notably, this case is said to mark the first instance of using the Programme for a coastal vessel.
In the shipping industry, where environmental regulations are becoming stricter as the industry moves towards decarbonisation, ClassNK evaluates ships based on a comprehensive scoring model jointly developed with DBJ from the perspective of ‘decarbonisation, environmentally friendly performance, and innovativeness’, and DBJ provides investment and financing. The programme supports initiatives that contribute to the transition to decarbonisation from both IR and financial perspectives.
Uyeno Transtech has been involved in the marine transportation of petroleum and petrochemical products since its establishment and has recently focused on achieving zero emissions in the maritime industry through the development of next-generation fuel supply vessels. The ship is a hydrogen fuel ready electric propulsion oil tanker built at the Nagasaki Yard of Fukuoka Shipbuilding, and delivered in October 2025. In 2026, the ship is scheduled to conduct one of the world’s first demonstration voyages using hydrogen as fuel, as part of a subsidised project under the Nippon Foundation’s ‘zero emission ships’ project.
The following points were highly evaluated in this assessment of the Ship:
- As a ‘hydrogen fuel ready’ vessel, development of the ship involved not only a concept design for the use of hydrogen but also the design and equipping of a hull structure intended to satisfy requirements related to hydrogen fuel tank and compartments for tank installation.
- Fuel consumption is optimised through the installation of lithium-ion batteries.
As a result, the ship received the highest rank in the programme, acknowledging that significant environmental-related investments have been made.
Image: ‘Kikou Maru’ (source: ClassNK)
