Mitsubishi Shipbuilding (subsidiary of MHI-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) signed a contract with MOL (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines) to build two LNG-poweredcruiseferries - which is the first such project in Japan.
The ships will be built at Shimonoseki Shipyard, with delivery scheduled for 2022-Q4 - 2023-Q1. Oita-based Ferry Sunflower Ltd will operate both ships on the Osaka-Beppu route.
The new ferries will have dual-fuel engines, LOA length 200 m, width/beam 28 m, GT tonnage ~17300 tons, passenger capacity 763 (per unit), cargo capacity 100 cars plus 136 trailer trucks.
Earlier in December, Kyushu Electric Power reached long-term agreements to deploy the first in the world LNG-fueled large coal carriers with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and MOL. MOL's 235-m ship is being built by Namura Shipbuilding and enters service in June 2023. MOL recently signed its first green loan, the proceeds of which would be used to partially finance the building of the world's biggest LNG bunkering ship.