MOL's newest LNG-fuelled ferry begins operational sailings

MOL Sunflower, a subsidiary of Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), has begun conducting operational sailings of its newest LNG-fuelled Ro-Pax ferry.

Built by Naikai Zosen Corporation, Sunflower Kamuy has already begun serving the Oarai-Tomakomai route between Ibaraki Prefecture and Hokkaido as a replacement for Sunflower Daisetsu.

The vessel is the third LNG-fuelled ferry to join the MOL Sunflower fleet. It can transport 157 passengers, 50 cars, and 155 trailers that each measure 13 metres long.

The trailer capacity was significantly increased in response to what the Japanese government calls the “modal shift,” an expected rise in Ro-Ro cargo volumes as growing numbers of Japanese end users opt for ocean cargo transport as an alternative to long-distance trucking.

The ferry is of an advanced design that features a streamlined shape with an aerodynamically-rounded bow and that can use diagonal headwinds to help propel the vessel. A fin stabiliser will meanwhile help minimise rolling while underway and a rectangular energy-saving device developed by Naikai Zosen will suppress resistance from waves and swells on the water surface, thereby improving energy efficiency.

The vessel is also able to generate up to 35 per cent fewer CO2 emissions compared to currently in-service vessels on the Hokkaido route through the adoption of various technologies in addition to LNG-fuelled engines, thereby contributing to the reduction of overall CO2 emissions.