Recently, Turkey’s first domestically built liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered container ship “Kaşif Kalkavan”, officially entered service. The vessel is also the largest container ship built in Turkey to date, with a capacity of 4,400 TEU.
The vessel is equipped with a multi-fuel propulsion system capable of using five different fuels—including LNG, marine diesel oil, heavy fuel oil, ultra-low-sulfur fuel oil, and very-low-sulfur fuel oil—and features a selective catalytic reduction system and a scrubber system to control nitrogen oxide and sulfur emissions.
Operated by the family-owned company Turkon Line, this vessel is the first of a two vessel series of container vessels commissioned by the owner. Both newbuilds were constructed by Turkey’s Sedef Shipyard; the shipbuilding contract was announced in June 2022, and the vessels feature a domestic Turkish design and were built entirely with Turkish capital.
Established in 1997, Turkon Line currently operates routes to the United States, Northern Europe, and India, and its fleet includes seven container ships built between 1996 and 2012.