NYK has named Lyla Pathfinder, its eighth dual-fuel very large gas carrier capable of using LPG as fuel, at Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Sakaide Works, according to NYK.
The newly built vessel was named on 7 July and will be chartered by BGN INT FZCO after delivery for global LPG transportation. About 30 stakeholders attended the ceremony, including BGN LPG director Takayuki Koike.
The carrier is designed to transport LPG and to accommodate ammonia, which emits no CO₂ during combustion. The name combines Lyla, meaning night in Arabic, with Pathfinder, linked to decarbonisation and a smooth voyage.
Lyla Pathfinder is fitted with a dual-fuel engine that can run on heavy fuel oil or LPG. The ship uses rotational energy from the shaft connecting the main engine to the propeller for power generation, reducing diesel fuel consumption by generators and allowing near-complete operation on LPG alone.
When LPG is used as fuel, sulfur oxide emissions in exhaust gases are reduced by more than 95%, while greenhouse gas emissions are cut by more than 20% compared with conventional heavy fuel oil.
The vessel has an overall length of 229.90 metres, breadth of 37.20 metres, depth of 21.90 metres and summer draft of 11.65 metres. Tank capacity is 86,934.898 cbm.