Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company, has held a christening and launch ceremony for a salvage tug being built for Nippon Salvage.
The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant of MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture on January 12, 2024.
The vessel, named Koyo Maru, is scheduled for handover to Nippon Salvage in June 2024 following completion of outfitting work and sea trials.
The vessel has a length overall (LOA) of 80.6 meters and beam of 15.5 meters, with gross tonnage of approximately 3,000. It will replace the current Koyo Maru, originally constructed at MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and operational since 1998.
As explained, the new vessel has one of the highest pulling capacities (bollard pull) in Japan to respond to large-scale marine accidents, while optimal placement of fire extinguishing equipment such as water cannons, and improved fixed-point holding capacity, provides enhanced efficiency when firefighting on other ships.
The Koyo Maru is also equipped with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to comply with environmental regulations, allowing it to operate in designated areas where nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are restricted, such as the coastal waters of the United States and Canada, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea.
Further, the vessel features a new hull form (semi-vertical stem) to improve propulsion performance, and has been designed to allow temporary equipment such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to be mounted on the exposed deck (Note) as necessary, improving workability.
With the construction of this vessel, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding aims to contribute to the various salvage activities carried out in seas around the world, as well as environmental conservation.
In addition, by building vessels with excellent fuel efficiency and environmental performance, and that contribute to the safety of society, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding aims to provide solutions to the various societal issues facing its customers in Japan and overseas, the company said.