A naming ceremony was held on January 30th at Japan Marine United Corporation’s Tsu Shipyard in Mie Prefecture for an LNG-fueled capesize bulk carrier.
The new vessel was named “SG Ocean” to reflect the “SG” of NYK’s “Sail GREEN” brand, which emphasizes reducing GHG emissions through the transport of goods and contributing to the eco-friendly supply chains of customers, and the image of a vessel sailing majestically in the open ocean while protecting the environment.
The naming ceremony was attended by Koji Kakigi, president and CEO of JFE Holdings, and Takaya Soga, president of NYK, among others.
The vessel was ordered by NYK and it is the first capesize LNG-fueled bulk carrier to be built at a shipyard in Japan (according to an NYK research).
NYK notes that the 210.000 Dwt and 299.90m long newbuilding will be deployed to transport iron ore and coal from Australia to Japan, under a long-term consecutive voyage charter contract with Japan-based JFE Steel Corporation (JFE).
The vessel will be compliant with the IMO’s NOx emission regulations (Tier III). It is also equipped with the latest 7X62DF-2.1 iCER dual-fuel slow-speed diesel engine by WinGD, a world-class marine engine design company. This engine halves methane emissions when using LNG fuel.
In addition, due to careful consideration of the equipment and arrangement of the LNG fuel tank and LNG fuel supply system, this ship will maintain the loadable quantity and cargo hold capacity of conventional bulk carriers of the same size despite the increased weight of additional equipment, as the shipowner mentions.
