MOL subsidiary to operate Japan’s first LNG-fuelled ferries

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) subsidiary Ferry Sunflower has confirmed that it will operate the first two passenger vessels in Japan to be powered by LNG.

The contract for the construction of the dual-fuel vessels is slated to be awarded to Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in December.

Ferry Sunflower will charter the vessels after delivery and launch them on the company’s Osaka-Beppu route from the end of 2022 through to the first half of 2023 as replacements for vessels currently in service.

The LNG-fuelled ferries will have an LOA of 199.9 metres, a displacement of 17,300 tonnes, a speed of 22.5 knots, and capacity for 763 passengers and up to 136 trucks. Each vessel will be able to transport 53 more passengers and 44 more trucks compared to Sunflower Ivory (pictured) and Sunflower Cobalt, Ferry Sunflower’s two vessels that current serve the Osaka-Beppu route.