On July 14, 2025, KEYS Azalea, an LNG bunkering vessel owned and operated by KEYS Bunkering West Japan Ltd., conducted the first ship‑to‑ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering for a cruise ship in Japan, according to the company's release.
The vessel bunkered LNG for ASUKA III—a 52,265 gross tonnage cruise ship operated by NYK Cruises, a subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha—at Chuo Wharf in Hakata Port.
Prior to this, KEYS Azalea had provided LNG only to car carriers and bulk carriers such as Daisy Leader and SG OCEAN.
The LNG supply originated from the Tobata LNG terminal owned by Kitakyushu LNG Co., Inc.
KEYS Bunkering West Japan Ltd. stated that it “will continue to provide safe and stable LNG bunkering and contribute to forming a carbon‑neutral society and developing the LNG bunkering business in Japan”.
The ASUKA III, measuring 230 m in length and with capacity for 744 passengers, features a dual‑fuel propulsion system capable of operating on LNG, heavy oil and light oil.
The ship was delivered in April 2025 and christened on July 11, 2025.
In April 2024, KEYS Azalea already inaugurated its ship‑to‑ship LNG bunkering operations in Japan, refuelling the car carrier Daisy Leader on April 10 at the Port of Hiroshima and later the bulk carrier SG OCEAN on April 28 at Mizushima Port.
KEYS Bunkering West Japan Ltd. is a joint‑venture company established on February 2, 2022, headquartered in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Its shareholders are Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. (40 %), Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (40 %), ITOCHU ENEX Co., Ltd. (15 %) and Saibu Gas Co., Ltd. (5 %).