Japan’s shipping giant NYK has taken delivery of its second LNG-powered pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Plumeria Leader, as it builds a fleet of such vessels.
Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding delivered the vessel to NYK during a ceremony on March 24.
NYK took delivery of Japan’s first LNG-powered PCTC, Sakura Leader, in October 2020.
“By vessel modification and the switch to LNG, Plumeria Leader will make the ship up to approximately 40 percent more energy efficient (by reducing CO2 emissions per unit of transport) compared to ships using conventional heavy oil fired engines,” NYK said in a statement.
In addition, NYK expects the vessel to reduce sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions by about 99 percent and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by some 86 percent compared to heavy oil-powered ships.
NYK claims this ship is one of the world’s largest PCTCs, capable of transporting about 7,000 units per voyage, beginning with vehicles produced by the Toyota Motor Corporation.
The shipping firm set a long-term target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2050 for the group’s oceangoing businesses.
NYK is positioning LNG fuel as one of the bridge solutions until future zero-emission ships are realized and plans to take delivery of a total of 20 new LNG-fueled car carriers by 2028.
As soon as technological innovation progresses, NYK aims to switch to zero-emission vessels utilizing low-emission marine fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, it said.