Japanese shipping giant MOL has ordered two LNG-powered ferries at compatriot shipbuilder Naikai Zosen.
MOL said in a statement on Wednesday that the 199.4 meters long LNG-powered ferries would join its unit MOL Ferry in 2025.
The dual-fuel vessels will replace two ships that MOL Ferry currently operates on the Oarai-Tomakomai route.
According to MOL, the new ferries would reduce CO2 emissions by about 35 percent in comparison with ferries currently in service, by adopting the latest technologies.
The new ferries adopt the “Ishin” ship design and will have a capacity for 157 passengers and 50 vehicles.
MOL did not reveal the price tag of the contract.
Back in 2019, MOL ordered two LNG ferries, Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki, at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.
MOL’s firm Ferry Sunflower will use both these vessels, claimed to be Japan’s first LNG-powered ferries, on its Osaka-Beppu route.
These two LNG-powered ferries should enter service in 2023.