Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has announced the delivery and entry into service of an LNG dual-fuel coal carrier constructed as a dedicated vessel for Kansai Electric Power.
The 95,322dwt ship is Japan’s first coal carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger, a hard sail wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS). A naming and delivery ceremony was held at Oshima Shipbuilding to mark the vessel’s completion, during which the vessel was named Maizuru Kazenomai.
The ship will be engaged in transporting coal to Kansai Electric Power’s Maizuru Power Plant, playing an important role in supporting a stable supply of electricity. To reduce its environmental impact, it features a dual-fuel main engine capable of using LNG as its primary fuel, as well as the Wind Challenger WAPS, jointly developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding.
Compared with conventional HFO-fired vessels, the vessel is expected to reduce GHG and NOx emissions and significantly reduce SOx emissions through the use of LNG fuel. Furthermore, the combined effect of the LNG dual-fuel main engine and the Wind Challenger system is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to about 30%.
Image: ‘Maizuru Kazenomai’ (source: Mitsui OSK Lines)
