On March 1, a naming ceremony was held at the Sakaide Works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. for the first new LPG carrier jointly owned by NYK and Astomos Energy Corporation since the two companies shared ownership of Gas Capricorn from 2003, according to the company's release. NYK seeks to further strengthen its long-standing relationship with Astomos Energy and contribute to the decarbonization of the supply chain by promoting environmentally friendly fleet development.
The vessel was christened “Gas Garnet” by Yoshihito Takahashi, senior executive officer of Astomos Energy, and the ceremonial rope was cut by his wife. NYK Managing Executive Officer Hironobu Watanabe attended the ceremony with others from NYK to welcome the ship and pray for safe voyages.
The vessel has a dual-fuel engine that uses heavy oil and LPG. In addition, the ship is equipped with a shaft generator that generates electricity by rotating the shaft connecting the main engine to the propeller, enabling the vessel to stop operating the diesel generator during standard navigation and realize full LPG-fueled navigation. Compared to conventional heavy oil-fueled vessels, SOx (sulfur oxides) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the exhaust gas are reduced by more than 95% and 20%, respectively, when the ship is fueled by LPG.
NYK has established “Sail GREEN” as the company’s brand to emphasize NYK’s efforts to reduce GHG emissions through the transport of goods and contribute to the eco-friendly supply chains of customers, regardless of the mode of transport (e.g., by sea or land, through terminals, etc.). Construction and delivery of Gas Garnet is an initiative of that brand.