Japan’s city gas supplier and LNG importer, Osaka Gas, and its two partners are planning to start supplying liquefied natural gas with a newbuild bunkering vessel to ships in the Osaka Bay and the Seto Inland Sea in fiscal 2026.
Partners include NS United Coastal Tanker Kaisha (NSUT) and also Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation (HPC).
Osaka Gas said in a statement this is the first LNG bunkering business for the firm and the it will be in charge of LNG sales and supply.
Also, the partners will supply the fuel to LNG-powered ships using a 1,500-ton capacity bunkering vessel, which will load at Osaka Gas’ terminals, it said.
According to Osaka Gas, this bunkering business was adopted as a project eligible from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s LNG bunkering hub development program for fiscal 2023.
Osaka Bay LNG Shipping (OLS), a company jointly established by Osaka Gas International Transport, NSUT, and HPC will own the LNG bunkering vessel.
Moreover, NSUT, an established LNG coastal vessel operator, will manage and operate the vessel, and HPC will promote the business and LNG bunkering across the shipping industry in cooperation with the relevant government agencies, port administrator, and officials, the statement said.
Osaka Gas did not reveal any additional information regarding the vessel or the shipyard that will build the vessel under the subsidy program.
The firm operates the Senboku and Himeji LNG terminals in Japan and receives the fuel from several facilities around the globe, including from the Freeport LNG terminal in the US.