On 11 September, a naming ceremony for a new LNG vessel ordered by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) was held at the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. At the ceremony, Toshihiro Sano, executive vice president of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) named the ship Pacific Arcadia, and his wife cut the ceremonial rope holding the vessel in place. NYK president Yasumi Kudo was also in attendance.
“Arcadia” means “paradise, utopia,” and conjures the tropical image of Papua New Guinea, from where the LNG will originate. Moreover, the country’s national bird is the bird of paradise.
After delivery, Pacific Arcadia will be assigned to transport LNG for TEPCO from Papua New Guinea for 15 years under the operational management of LNG Marine Transport Ltd.
Adapted from press release by Ted Monroe