Japan’s first LNG-fueled ferry floated out

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding recently held a simultaneous naming and launching ceremony for Japan’s first LNG-fueled passenger ferry.

Sunflower Kurenai is the first of two LNG-fueled ferries being built by Mitsubishi for MOL. Following its delivery in January 2023, it will sail on the Osaka-Beppu route as part of the fleet of MOL subsidiary Ferry Sunflower.

The ferry will have an LOA of 199.99 metres, capacity for 716 passengers and 137 lorries, and a dual-fuel engine that can also operate on heavy fuel oil as an alternative to LNG.