NYK’s sixth LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Sumire Leader, has started its transportation service for Japan’s Mazda Motor.
Japanese shipping giant NYK announced this in a statement issued on Friday saying the vessels visited the port of Hiroshima on October 17 and the port of Nakanoseki on October 18.
Sumire Leader (“sumire” is Japanese for violets) will transport finished vehicles, including those made by Mazda Motor, NYK said.
This vessel is the last of four LNG-fueled PCTCs with a capacity of 7,000 units delivered from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Nanjing).
The Chinese shipbuilder handed over Sumire Leader on August 14.
The China Merchants yard delivered the first vessel in this batch, Jasmine Leader, on January 31, the second, Wild Rose Leader, on April 20, and the third, Freesia Leader, on June 26.
The 200 meters long vessels feature WinGD’s 7X62DF-2.1 two-stroke engines coupled with shaft generators, DC-links, and battery systems.
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.
It took delivery of Japan’s first LNG-powered PCTC, Sakura Leader, in October 2020, followed by the delivery of its second PCTC, Plumeria Leader, in March last year.
