MOL lines up LNG supply for newbuild ferry duo

Written by Nick Blenkey
LNG-fueled ferry

Each LNG-fueled ferry will be about 199.9 meters long and 28.0 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of approximately 17,300 tonnes

Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has lined up the supply of LNG for the two 199.9 meter long LNG dual-fueled ferries it has on order at the Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works.

MOL, MOL Ferry, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co (JAPEX) and Hokkaido Gas today jointly announce that basic agreements were signed between MOL and JAPEX, and between MOL and Hokkaido Gas for the supply of LNG fuel to the ferries in each port on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Group company MOL Ferry.

Although the ferries were initially set for deliver by early this year, MOL said today that the LNG fuel supply is scheduled to start in 2025, when the ferries will enter service.

JAPEX will supply LNG fuel to the ferries at the Port of Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Hokkaido Gas will supply it at the Port of Tomakomai in Hokkaido.

The ferries will be supplied by the truck to ship method, using a skid that connects the vessel to four tanker trucks simultaneously. This speeds up the bunkering process, allowing the ferries to take on sufficient fuel during their limited time at berth.

LNG-fueled ferry fueling arrangement
MOL released this image of the bunkering method but noted that “the location of LNG tank, the shape of skid and others in this image are different from those of the two new LNG-fueled ferries.”
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