• Home
  • Maritime industry news - PortNews
  • Kawasaki Heavy Industries announces construction of a coastal Limestone Carrier with a Hybrid Propulsion System using a Gas-Only Engine and a Battery
  • 2021 September 30 14:03

    Kawasaki Heavy Industries announces construction of a coastal Limestone Carrier with a Hybrid Propulsion System using a Gas-Only Engine and a Battery

    NS United Naiko Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd.,  Nippon Steel Corporation, Nippon Steel Cement Co., Ltd., Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. , Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and Kawasaki Heavy Industries,  Ltd. have agreed to construct a  vessel with a hybrid propulsion system combining a gas-only engine and a battery as the replacement of the limestone carrier  "Shimokita Maru" owned by NSU Naiko, and have today signed " Memorandum of  Transportation contract," "Shipbuilding contract," "Gas-only engine and battery  propulsion system sales contract," and "Liquefied natural gas for marine fuel  sales contract.", according to Kawasaki Heavy Industries's release.

    This vessel is scheduled to start the operation in February 2024, and will be  equipped with Japan’s first gas-only engine and total 2,847 kWh lithium-ion  battery. The LNG fuel tank is planned to use 7% nickel steel plate developed by  Nippon Steel Corporation for the first time as a marine tank. The propulsion  power and the onboard electric power during the sailing are generated by the  gas-only engine developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Only natural gas  will be used for high power, long distance, and long duration navigation. The  propulsion power and the onboard power during entering, leaving and berthing  ports will be provided from the battery to achieve zero-emission operation. 

    Gas-only engine  single-fuel  engine  Gas fuel supply  equipment  Battery  The CO2 emission reduction effect of introducing the propulsion system of this  vessel is 23.56% (about 30% at normal load operation) compared to the  conventional vessels of the same type, and the exhaust gas of the gas-only  engine contains almost no SOx, and NOx emissions is far below the TierIII  standards.  

    In addition, on its main routes, the loading port, Shiriyamisaki(Aomori  Prefecture) and the unloading port, Muroran (Hokkaido), the zero-emission  operations that are friendly to the environment will be carried out.   

    The construction of this vessel was adopted by the Global Environment Bureau  of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Maritime Bureau of the  Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for the "Projects  to promote the introduction of advanced technologies that will simultaneously  achieve social innovation and the decarbonization of logistics (Projects to  promote the introduction of LNG fuel systems, etc.)"

    Overview of the successor ship to the Shimokita Maru

    Deadweight tonnage (DWT): approximately 5,560 tons 

    Total length: approximately 93.8 m 

    Molded breadth: approximately 18.2 m 

    Molded depth: approximately 9.9 m 

    Scheduled Delivery: Early February 2024 

    Propulsion system: Hybrid system of gas-only engine (8L30KG) and battery 

    Shipyard: Tsuneishi Shipbuilding 

    Liquefied natural gas supplier: Japan Petroleum Exploration 

    Main route/Cargo: Shiriyamisaki - Muroran /Limestone   


2024 April 19

12:41 The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach complete a comprehensive Green and Digital Shipping Corridor study
12:20 Ulsan Port Authority signs MOU with Pacific Environment to decarbonize shipping ports in Singapore
11:50 Cavotec signs USD 5 million shore power order with global shipping company
11:22 Rio Tinto selects Alfa Laval OceanGlide fluidic air lubrication with a focus on advancing efficient shipping and reducing emissions
10:45 Steerprop selected to supply main propulsion and tunnel thrusters for Canadian Coast Guard multi-purpose vessels program
10:14 ST Engineering AirX and Bureau Veritas sign cooperation agreement to advance Wing-in-Ground technology
09:38 Solar panels at the Port of Valencia will generate 22% of the energy it consumes

2024 April 18

18:02 DEME wins cable installation contracts from Prysmian for IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1 offshore grid systems
17:31 RINA awarded contract for Carnival Cruise Line 4th and 5th Excel-class ships
17:18 Cepsa and Evos join up for green methanol storage in Spain and the Netherlands
16:48 ClassNK commences joint research project with JAXA on material compatibility evaluation methods for liquefied oxygen
16:24 Panama Canal announces new measures regarding number of transits and maximum draft
15:50 Kongsberg Maritime secures contract to supply propeller systems to Damen Naval for four Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates
15:24 LR to class Torghatten Nord’s hydrogen-powered ferry duo for Arctic sailings
14:04 CMA CGM sells part of the foreign activities of Bolloré Logistics to the Balguerie Group
13:40 Methanol Institute and SEA-LNG unite against EU trade barriers to biomethane and biomethanol fuels
13:23 DP World launches a new Air Tracking feature to its SeaRates platform
12:31 Port of Los Angeles container volume increases 19% to 743,417 TEU in March 2024
12:16 MABUX: Bunker Outlook, Week 16, 2024
12:11 Coastal Sustainability Alliance boosts development and adoption of maritime biofuel in Singapore
11:43 Ocean Network Express launches reduced emissions shipping service
11:23 Wartsila cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems selected for three new Very Large Ethane Gas Carriers
10:45 Singapore plans production of biofuel blends up to B50 in grade
10:25 Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and International Energy Agency сollaborate on maritime energy transition

2024 April 17

18:03 Australia and Singapore partner in a $20 million initiative to help reduce emissions in the maritime sector
17:38 EPS strengthens green collaboration with MPA with six Singapore-registered ammonia dual-fuel newbuilds
17:03 HD Hyundai, Scottish firms to cooperate on offshore wind power
16:16 Hanwha Ocean wins 176.4 bln-won order for 1 LPG carrier
15:46 Maritime Book and Claim System advances pilot study to support first movers in zero-emissions shipping
15:00 Port of Antwerp-Bruges cargo volumes up 2.4% to 70.4 million tonnes in Q1 2023
14:47 DOF Rederi AS sells PSV Skandi Gamma
14:24 PIL, CCS partner on alternative fuels and onboard carbon capture and storage
13:44 Total volume of bunker fuel sales at the port of Fujairah increases by 25.2% to 700,918 m3 in March 2023
12:11 Eureka Shipping announces construction of new cement carrier for Great Lakes trade
11:32 MOL to adopt new system to increase capacity and improve operational efficiency of car carriers
11:12 GTT receives an order for the tank design of eight new LNG carriers
10:43 Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources takes delivery of a new research vessel
10:27 The United States exported a record volume of natural gas in 2023
09:58 TECO 2030 raises NOK 43 million and partners up with Advait in India

2024 April 16

18:04 HD KSOE attains 73% of annual order target in 100 days
17:31 Anglo-Eastern buys Euronav ship manager
17:06 Navig8 takes delivery of the second of six newbuild MRs with emission reducing technology
16:38 IMO’s Facilitation Committee tackles digitalization and autonomous shipping
16:12 World’s largest car carriers ordered with MAN Energy Solutions propulsion package
15:46 Hapag-Lloyd and Seaspan to retrofit five vessels to methanol propulsion
14:13 Asyad Shipping and OQ8 successfully complete first-of-its-kind blended crude oil delivery from Mina Al Fahal to Duqm Refinery
13:54 Hapag-Lloyd unveils its new Strategy 2030
13:14 Singapore aims for over 1 mln tons of low-carbon methanol bunker supply by 2030
12:43 Trafigura to commercially deploy Daphne Technology’s PureMetrics on LNG carrier for precise MRV and optimisation of GHG emissions
12:15 All 12 people rescued from fire on board Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship in Singapore waters
11:49 Drydocks World steel cutting ceremony marks start of UK Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Platforms project
11:23 North Pacific Green Corridor Consortium aims to decarbonize transportation corridor between Canada, Japan and South Korea
10:48 Wartsila offers new high-performance thruster and propulsion control solution package
10:25 Port of Long Beach container volume up 8.3% to 654,082 TEUs in March 2024
09:58 Kalypso Offshore Energy signs LOI with Royal IHC

2024 April 15

18:04 Container shipping costs of S. Korea-EU route surge 40 pct amid Red Sea crisis
17:21 HMM to expand container ship fleet by 2030
17:09 Singapore retains its position as the world's leading maritime city
16:47 Iran says MSC Aries vessel seized for 'violating maritime laws'
16:24 ICTSI gets PPA OK to operate Iloilo Port
15:21 DEME’s offshore installation vessel ‘Orion’ successfully completes the near 15 MW turbine foundation installation project in Scotland and heads to US
14:55 Meriaura orders two biofuel powered 6750 DWT cargo vessels from Royal Bodewes shipyard
14:35 Methanol-fuelled MAN 21/31DF-M GenSet secures first propulsion order
13:32 Port of Valencia export freights grow by 2.13% in March 2024
12:48 Seatrium and Shell inks MOU to further collaborate on floating production systems
12:24 Seaspan launches second LNG bunkering vessel to deliver low-carbon energy solutions to the West Coast
11:57 Japan's 1st coastal module carrier to transport offshore wind turbine foundation components
10:36 EST-Floattech to provide the battery system for the purpose-built electric-landing utility vessel

2024 April 14

16:02 Shanghai's ship exports see considerable growth in Jan-Feb
14:13 Stena Drilling secures 1-well firm programme with Energean for Stena Forth in Morocco