Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has taken delivery of the newbuild LNG-fueled car carrier from China Merchants Jinling Shipbuilding (Jiangsu).
The 7,000 CEU vessel named Nereus Highway is the first LNG-fueled ship built by the Chinese shipyard for K Line as part of the order from September 2021.
Classed by DNV, the newbuild measures nearly 200 meters in length and 38 meters in width. It runs on a dual-fuel electronically controlled WinGD 7X62DF-2.1 engine which reduces methane emissions when using LNG as a fuel.
Compared to conventional heavy fuel oil, LNG is expected to reduce CO2 by 25% to 30%, sulfur oxide (SOx) by almost 100%, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by approximately 75%, complying with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) NOx Tier 3 regulations.
K Line’s first LNG-fueled car carrier, Century Highway Green , was built and delivered by Tadotsu Shipyard Co., part of the Imabari Shipbuilding Group, in March 2021.
The Japanese company also charters two LNG dual-fuel 7,000 CEU car carriers from Bermuda-based shipowning and chartering company Ship Finance International Limited (SFL), namely Odin Highway and Thor Highway.
The vessels have a total length of 200 meters, a width of 38 meters, a design draft of 8.6 meters, and a design speed of 19 knots. Two out of 13 decks can be loaded with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.