Prior to Osaka Gas Co., Ltd’s launch of its ship-to-ship (STS) LNG bunkering operation in April 2026, a naming ceremony was held at Shitanoe Shipbuilding Co., Ltd in Usuki-City, Oita Prefecture, for the LNG bunkering vessel currently under construction by Osaka Bay LNG Shipping Co., Ltd, in which Osaka Gas International Transport Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka Gas, has invested.
Named SETO AZURE after the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea – one of the lo-cations where the company’s STS bunkering business will take place – the bunkering vessel is scheduled to commence operations upon its launch in April 2026. With Osaka Gas selling and providing LNG, SETO AZURE will supply LNG to LNG-fuelled ships including capsize bulkers operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd (MOL), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd (‘K’ LINE), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).
The introduction of the STS bunkering method complements Osaka Gas’s existing bunkering operations, which currently utilise the truck-to-ship and port-to-ship methods.
“We are excited to commence our STS LNG bunkering operations [in April],” commented Masataka Fujiwara, President and Representative Director of Osaka Gas. “Amid the global momentum towards decarbonisation and low-carbon initiatives, Osaka Gas is dedicated to providing a stable supply of LNG to meet the growing demand from LNG-fuelled vessels.”
An increasing number of LNG-fuelled vessels have come into operation in recent years, driven by the global trend of marine fuel decarbonisation and the target set by the International Maritime Organization to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. LNG-fuelled vessels can reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to the traditional use of heavy oil as marine fuel; however, the shortage of LNG fuel facilities across Japan poses a challenge to this effort.
With its newly comprehensive bunkering service that covers all three major bunkering methods, Osaka Gas intends to contribute further to a stable and flexible LNG fuel supply.
The Daigas Group intends to expand the LNG bunkering business, and based on the Daigas Group Energy Transition 2050 announced in February 2025, the Group also aims to contribute to the lower carbon and decarbonisation of the marine transportation industry through the social implementation of e-methane and promoting its use as a marine fuel replacing LNG in future.