Mitsui O.S.K. Lines reports the first of Japan’s first two LNG-fuelled ferries, the Sunflower Kurenai, owned by MOL and operated by its group company Ferry Sunflower Co., recently entered service.

The ferry serves the Osaka-Beppu route between Sunflower Ferry Terminal (Osaka Prefecture) and Beppu International Tourist Port (Oita Prefecture) as a replacement for the ferry Sunflower Ivory.

It is Japan’s first ferry to adopt the latest environmental-friendly specifications including a high-performance dual-fuel engine, which can run on both LNG and heavy fuel oil. The use of LNG fuel is expected to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by about 25%, and sulfur oxide (SOx) by virtually 100%.

The MOL Group set the target to achieve Net Xero GHG emissions by 2050 and it is promoting the wider adoption of LNG fuel through development and advancement of an LNG fuel supply system in Japan and overseas.

In the ferry business, MOL has already ordered four LNG-fuelled ferries. Following the Sunflower Kurenai and the Sunflower Murasaki, the company plans to build two modern LNG-fuelled ferries and put them into service in 2025 to replace vessels currently plying the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Ferry Co.