Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that on February 27, the delivery ceremony for the LNG-fueled tugboat the company ordered from Kanagawa Dockyard Co., Ltd. was held in Kobe Port. On hand for the event were officials from the Kobe District Transport Bureau, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Port and Urban Project Bureau, Kobe City Government, Port of Harbor Bureau, Osaka Prefectural Government, and many others.
The Ishin, the first LNG-fueled tugboat in western Japan, will be operated by MOL Group company Nihon Tug-Boat Co., Ltd. The LNG fuel was supplied by Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. using a truck-to-ship LNG bunkering procedure in Sakai Senboku Port.
Leveraging its high-speed performance, the Ishin will escort large-size freighters during port calling in/out operations. The MOL Group will accumulate know-how on LNG-fueled vessels through the operation of the Ishin.
The Ishin is Japan's first tugboat built to conform to the IGF code. In addition, its excellent environmental performance earned the top rating of four stars from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)'s energy-saving rating program for Japan's coastal ships.
The Ishin is powered by two advanced 6EY26DF dual-fuel commercial marine engines manufactured by Yanmar Co., Ltd. and features a removable LNG fuel tank mounted on the exposed deck at the stern of the ship. This enhances convenience in bunkering, maintenance, and inspection. The image of the Ishin, designed with extensive use of green motifs and four stars featured on the fuel tank, represents the tug's four-star achievement under the MLIT's energy-saving rating scheme, and conveys MOL's initiatives on reducing environmental impact by LNG fuel.
MOL takes a proactive stance in popularizing the use of LNG fuel by promoting the development of LNG fuel supply systems in Japan and overseas, to address today's growing environmental demands among both customers and society at large.