NYK Line launches third LNG-fuelled PCTC

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) has launched its third LNG-fuelled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) and moved closer to its aim of operating 20 LNG-fuelled PCTCs by 2028.

PHOTO: NYK Line’s third LNG-fuelled PCTC, Jasmine Leader, at sea. NYK Line

The vessel, Jasmine Leader, was bunkered by the Kaguya, an LNG bunker barge operated by Central LNG Marine Fuel, before entering the port of Hiroshima on 27 February. The vessel will be used for transporting finished vehicles manufactured by Japanese car maker Mazda.

NYK Line launched the first LNG-fuelled vessel in this series, the Sakura Leader, in October 2020, followed by the Plumeria Leader in March 2022. Both of these were built by the Japanese Shin Kurushima Dockyard.

The Jasmine Leader is the first in a series of four additional LNG-fuelled PCTCs to be delivered by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard.

NYK Line has been “positioning LNG, a low-carbon marine fuel, as a bridge-solution” and plans to switch to “low-emission marine fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia from around the mid-2030s.”

By Tuhin Roy

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