A delivery ceremony for a new LNG bunkering vessel has been held at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s Yamatomachi Shipyard.
The vessel, named Keys Azalea, will be operated in the Kyushu and Setouchi areas by Keys Bunkering West Japan Corporation, a joint venture established by Kyushu Electric Power Co, NYK Line, Itochu Enex, and Saibu Gas. It will be the first LNG bunker ship to operate in these areas.
The 82.4m 3,500m3 Keys Azalea will provide domestic coastal transport of LNG as well as LNG bunkering for oceangoing vessels calling at ports in the region. The construction of the ship was partly funded under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s LNG Bunkering Base Formation Project. Keys Azalea is Japan’s first LNG bunkering vessel equipped with a dual-fuel engine that can use both LNG and heavy oil as fuel for the main power generation system.
The four companies and Keys will continue to contribute to reducing GHG emissions towards realising a carbon-neutral society.
Image: ‘Keys Azalea’ LNG bunkering vessel (source: NYK)
