Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has held a naming and launching ceremony for Sunflower Pirka, a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled ferry under construction at Naikai Zosen Corporation.
As informed, the ferry was given the name Sunflower Pirka by Sueji Shinohara , chairman of the Hokuren Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives.
The LNG-fueled tugboat Ishin, operated by MOL Group company Nihon Tug-Boat, assisted with towing operations during the launch of the ferry.
Sunflower Pirka is expected to reduce CO 2 emissions by about 35% compared to vessels currently serving on the Hokkaido route thanks to Ishin hull form, which can use oblique headwinds as propulsion, and various other technologies, such as energy-saving devices developed by Naikai Zosen The devices are adopted in addition to the installation of high-performance engines that use LNG fuel.
The ship is slated for delivery from Naikai Zosen in April 2025, and will then enter service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Sunflower.
With the newbuilding ferry, Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki already in service on the Osaka-Beppu route since 2023, and the sister ship Sunflower Kamuy, which is scheduled to enter service in early 2025 as the first ship on the Oarai-Tomakomai route, the MOL Group will operate a fleet of four LNG-fueled ferries on East-West routes in Japan.
MOL Sunflower as a whole operates ten ferries and 5 roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships on six routes giving the company “ Japan’s largest ferry fleet and most extensive route network “.