Japan's first LNG bunkering vessel has been successfully launched at the Sakaide Works facilities of Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI).
The vessel is scheduled to be delivered at the end of September 2020 and will be the first of its kind to be operated in Japan. It has an LOA of 81.7 metres, a beam of 18 metres, and an LNG cargo tank capacity of 3,500 cubic metres.
After the delivery, the vessel will be based at JERA's Kawagoe Thermal Power Station and commence ship-to-ship bunkering for LNG-fuelled vessels.
The vessel will be owned by Central LNG Shipping Japan Corporation (CLS), a joint venture between JERA, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line).