VESSEL REVIEW | Toho Emerald – LNG-powered carrier for Toho Gas' global routes
The 174,000-cubic-metre (38.2-million-gallon) LNG carrier Toho Emerald was formally named at one of the facilities of South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) on September 9, 2026.
The new LNG carrier was built by SHI for T.K. LNG Shipping, a Singapore-based joint venture formed by Japanese companies Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and Toho LNG Shipping. The latter is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toho Gas.
The ship will carry LNG in global trades, including services for Toho Gas, which said that the investment is intended to strengthen its LNG procurement capability.
Dimensions ideal for trans-oceanic trade
The new LNG carrier has an LOA of 290 metres (950 feet), a length between perpendiculars of 284.5 metres (933.4 feet), a moulded beam of 45.8 metres (150 feet), a moulded depth of 26.2 metres (86 feet), and a design draught of 11.5 metres (37.7 feet). The design deadweight is 89,667 while gross and net tonnages are 114,379 and 102,902.3, respectively.
The ship has a design speed of 19.5 knots and accommodation for up to 48 crewmembers. The LNG cargo is stored in membrane-type containers.
Toho Emerald is flagged in Singapore and classed by the American Bureau of Shipping for unrestricted service.
Her principal notations are ✠A1, Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier, Ⓔ, ✠AMS, ✠ACCU, CPS, FL (40), SH and SHCM. Additional notations include BWT, CRC(SC-PL, SP), DFD, ENVIRO, ESA, IHM, NBLES+, POT, R2, RRDA, RW, SFA (40), SH-DLA, TCM and UWILD.
Propulsion is provided by an Everllence ME-GA low-speed, dual-fuel main engine that can burn LNG and conventional marine fuel oil. K Line said that the engine, built to run mainly on LNG, would deliver highly efficient operation and reduce the vessel's environmental impact.
Gas recirculation for minimising emissions
The engine features an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and complies with IMO Tier III NOx emissions standards in both dual-fuel and fuel-oil-only modes. Everllence also said methane slip can be reduced by up to 50 per cent with the aid of GasEGR, compared with two-stroke Otto-cycle engines that do not use such systems.
If a fault is detected while the ship is in gas operation, the engine shuts off gas and changes over to fuel oil. Everllence said the switching between the two modes can occur without any loss of power.
K Line had identified LNG carriers as a growth business in its medium-term management plan of May 2022. The company has said it seeks long-term contracts to stabilise earnings.
Delivery of Toho Emerald was tentatively scheduled for October 2026. Toho Gas kept October as the planned completion month in its interim results presentation on October 29. However, recently published vessel tracking data show that the ship had already arrived at Dahej, India, on October 27 and then departed two days later.