Japanese shipping giant MOL said it has ordered four LNG-powered ferries car carriers at two compatriot shipbuilders, as part of its plans to have 90 LNG-fueled vessels by 2030.
MOL said on Monday it signed deals with Shin Kurushima Dockyard and Nihon Shipyard to build four 7,000-unit capacity car carriers.
This contract follows an order for four LNG-powered car carriers at the same yards in August last year. Each of the yards will build two vessels.
MOL said it would take delivery of the four new vessels through 2024 to 2025.
The firm did not reveal the price tag of the order.
Compared to conventional marine fuel oil, MOL expects LNG to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by about 25-30 percent and sulfur oxide (SOx) by 100 percent.
In addition, MOL and its partners have recently received basic design approval for a new methane system which they claim would significantly slash emissions from LNG-powered vessels.
The system reduces methane slip by placing a methane oxidation catalyst in an LNG-fueled engine.