Tokyo-headquartered shipowner IINO Kaiun Kaisha Ltd. (IINO Lines) commenced the deployment of the very large gas carrier Lumi Aurora under a long-term time charter contract with polyolefins manufacturer Borouge International.
With a 93,000 m³ capacity, the VLGC is equipped with a liquefied petroleum gas dual-fuel engine and shaft generator.
It will transport raw LPG from North America to Borouge International’s petrochemical plant in Porvoo, Finland.
Located on the Baltic Sea coast, Porvoo is affected by sea ice during winter, making navigation difficult for conventional VLGCs.
IINO Lines said the vessel meets ice class IB, a classification under the Finnish-Swedish ice class rules, which prescribe requirements for vessels operating in the Baltic Sea during winter. It is assigned to vessels capable of navigating light ice conditions with icebreaker assistance.
The vessel is the second VLGC to join Borouge International’s chartered fleet, following Oceanus Aurora, an IINO Lines VLGC equipped with a dual-fuel main engine, that has transported LPG to Porvoo, Finland, and Stenungsund, Sweden, since 2023.
Seiichi Fujimura, managing executive officer, responsible for the gas carrier department, IINO Kaiun Kaisha, commented: “Drawing on our more than 60 years of experience in LPG transportation, we will continue to working toward our 2050 net-zero target by providing safe and reliable marine transportation while reducing our environmental impact through the introduction of state-of-the-art vessels.
“This is our second long-term charter contract with Borouge, and we are greatly honored to have the opportunity to build a strong and enduring partnership with the company.”
As of June 2026, the IINO Group owns and operates a fleet of 86 vessels, comprising 10 oceangoing gas carriers, 21 domestic and coastal gas carriers, 33 chemical tankers, 19 dry bulk carriers, and 3 very large crude carriers (VLCCs).
