VESSEL REVIEW | Ruri Planet – LNG dual-fuel Capesize bulker for iron ore trade

Japan's Imabari Shipbuilding has handed over Ruri Planet, a Capesize bulk carrier that can run on either LNG or heavy fuel oil (HFO).

The Liberia-flagged vessel is registered to Panama-based Erica Navigation and managed by MOL Global Ship Management. Mitsui OSK Lines listed her among the vessels completed for its group in April.

The vessel’s keel was laid on February 3, 2025, and she was launched on October 25 that year. The ship will be used mainly for the transport of iron ore.

Each of the vessel's holds has topside and hopper tanks. The hull complies with the Common Structural Rules for Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers and has been strengthened for alternate hold loading of high-density cargoes at up to three tonnes per cubic metre, with holds two, four, six and eight empty. The ClassNK notation includes BC-A and GRAB 35.

Comparable capacity to existing similarly-sized ships powered by conventional fuels

Ruri Planet has an LOA of 299.99 metres (984.22 feet), a moulded beam of 50 metres (160 feet), and a moulded depth of 25 metres (82 feet). At her summer draught of 18.436 metres (60.49 feet), she has a deadweight of 210,079.

The ship also has a gross tonnage of 111,238, a net tonnage of 66,802, and a total hold capacity of 222,146 cubic metres (7.845 million cubic feet).

The LNG fuel tank sits on the upper deck aft of the accommodation block. Imabari Shipbuilding said this placement ensures that the ship has the same cargo volume as an equivalent vessel that operates on HFO only.

Propulsion is provided by a Mitsui E&S 7S60ME-C10.5-GI seven-cylinder, two-stroke main engine, which uses high-pressure gas injection and delivers 13,200 kW (17,700 hp) at 84 rpm. The engine drives a keyless propeller through a single shaft of 710 mm diameter to deliver a service speed of approximately 14 knots.

The ship's tank capacities are 2,312.53 cubic metres (508,685 gallons) of fuel oil and 394.7 cubic metres (86,820 gallons) of freshwater.

Fitted with emissions-reducing and efficiency-enhancing features

Electrical power comes from four 4,050kVA generators. Steam is provided by a vertical auxiliary boiler from Osaka Boiler Manufacturing. Both the generators and the boiler are dual-fuel capable, which means that any boil-off gas from the LNG fuel tank can still be consumed aboard rather than lost.

A selective catalytic reduction system fitted to the main engine ensures compliance with IMO Tier III NOx standards. Generators one to three can meanwhile meet the same Tier III requirements through dual-fuel operation.

Imabari Shipbuilding said the ship can meet EEDI Phase II and Phase III requirements when operating on HFO. The builder added that running on LNG can meanwhile lower CO₂ emissions by an additional 20 to 30 per cent and cut SOx emissions by nearly 100 per cent.

The vessel has energy-saving appendages near the propeller, a twisted rudder, a bow form designed to reduce propulsion resistance, an accommodation block shaped to limit wind resistance, and low-friction hull coating.