NYK orders fifth dual-fuel very large LPG/Ammonia carrier

TOKYO : NYK has placed an order at Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) for its fifth LPG dual-fuel very large LPG/Ammonia carrier (VLGC).

The seventh vessel in NYK’s fleet of LPG-fuelled LPG carriers is also the fifth of a new breed of ship capable of carrying ammonia. Separate cargo tanks will allow the carriage of LPG and ammonia at the same time as demand dictates.

The vessel is set for delivery from KHI’s Sakaide yard in 2026 and is expected to have ammonia-ready notation from ClassNK.

Other emissions reduction technologies include a shaft generator to generate electricity from prop shaft rotation. “Since the diesel generator can be stopped during normal seagoing transit, realizing full navigation with LPG fuel will be possible except for the use of a small amount of pilot fuel,” said NYK.

Running on LPG, the VLGC will emit 95% sulphur oxides and 20% less CO2 compared to NYK’s heavy fuel VLGCs.

“This new VLGC will comply not only with the SOx Global Cap regulations that were tightened from January 2020 but also with the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase 3 regulations, which implemented stricter CO2 emission standards from April 2022,” said NYK.