Mitsubishi holds christening ceremony for next-generation LNG carrier

The vessel is under construction for TRANS PACIFIC SHIPPING 6 Ltd – a joint venture (JV) of JERA Co. Inc. and NYK Line.

The vessel, BUSHU MARU, is the latest model ‘Sayaringo STaGE’ type, featuring significant improvements in terms of both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance due to the use of a more efficient hull structure and an innovative hybrid propulsion system. According to the statement, the completion and delivery of the ship is scheduled for June this year. After this point, it will enter service transporting LNG for the Freeport LNG project in Texas, US, amongst other ventures.

The vessel has a length of 297.5 m, a width of 48.94 m, and a depth of 27.0m, with a draft of 11.5m. Deadweight tonnage is approximately 80 300 t, with a total tank holding capacity of 180 000 m3. MHI claims that the launch took place on 14 December 2017.

The Sayaringo STaGE is a successor to the ‘Sayaendo’, a vessel highly acclaimed for its reliability and innovatively refined MOSS-type spherical tanks. The use of apple-shaped tanks allows for greater LNG carrying capacity without increasing the ship’s width, while the hybrid propulsion system further improves fuel efficiency over the previous model.

‘STaGE’ is an acronym derived from ‘Steam Turbine and Gas Engines’. It is a hybrid propulsion system that combines a steam turbine and gas-fired engines. The effective utilisation of waste heat from the engines for the steam turbine provides a substantial improvement in plant efficiency, allowing for high efficiency navigation at both low and high speeds.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/15052019/mitsubishi-holds-christening-ceremony-for-next-generation-lng-carrier/