Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding has started construction works on an LNG-powered car carrier for compatriot shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line).
The works started after K Line placed an order for the ship in December 2018.
Imabari is scheduled to deliver the 199.9-meter newbuild in the fall of 2020.
According to K Line, the yet-to-be-named 73,800 ton ship will have a capacity to carry 2,020 vehicles and will sail under the flag of Japan.
K Line said the decision to build a LNG-fueled car carrier was part of the company’s long-term environmental management vision called the “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 “Securing the Blue Seas for Tomorrow.”
The company started introducing environmentally-friendly vessel into its fleet with the 2016 launch of Drive Green Highway , a car carrier equipped with energy-saving technologies and SOx scrubbers.