On August 5, a naming ceremony took place at the Sakaide Works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. for a newly built very large gas carrier (VLGC).
This vessel marks the sixth dual-fuel LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) carrier ordered by NYK, following the delivery of Liberty Pathfinder in October of the previous year. Upon its completion, the vessel will be chartered by Astomos Energy Corporation, one of the world’s leading LPG companies, for the domestic and global transportation of LPG.
The vessel was named “Luna Pathfinder”. The vessel’s name reflects Astomos Energy’s commitment to a future path toward decarbonization, as the VLGC is designed to also carry ammonia. “Pathfinder” denotes a guiding marker, while “Luna,” the Roman goddess of the moon, evokes imagery of tranquility and peaceful voyages under the night sky.
This is an LPG Carrier with the following key specifications: it has an overall length of 229.90 meters, a beam of 37.20 meters, and a depth of 21.90 meters. Its summer draft measures 11.65 meters with the tank capacity reaches 86,920 cubic meters.
The vessel is equipped with a dual-fuel engine capable of using both heavy oil and LPG as fuel. By utilizing the rotation of the shaft connected from the main engine to the propeller to generate electricity, the diesel generators can be shut down during regular navigation, enabling operation primarily on LPG fuel. When using LPG, emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) are reduced by more than 95% and greenhouse gases (GHG) by over 20% compared to conventional heavy fuel oil.
Moreover, in addition to LPG the vessel can carry ammonia, for which demand is expected to increase as it is attracting attention as a means of realizing a decarbonized society in the future.