Japanese shipping major Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has confirmed the naming ceremony for a newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel, which is destined for an LNG export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, operated by LNG Canada, a joint venture company encompassing Shell, Petronas, PetroChina, KOGAS, and Mitsubishi.
K Line, which disclosed a naming ceremony for a 174,000 cubic meter (cbm) membrane-type LNG vessel, explained the ship was named Diamond Gas Jade at Samsung Heavy Industries for Mitsubishi Corporation’s subsidiary, Diamond Global Energy, on May 19, 2026.
The vessel is owned by a joint venture company and is scheduled to be used at the LNG Canada project in which Mitsubishi Corporation participates. The naming ceremony was attended by Tetsuro Wada , Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Global Energy, and Yukikazu Myochin , Director and Chairperson of K Line’s board.
The LNG carrier, which was named by Wada, got its name due to jade being a renowned specialty of British Columbia, where the LNG Canada project is located. In addition, jade is traditionally associated with long-lasting prosperity; thus, the vessel was named to express the companies’ hopes for the project’s enduring success and prosperity.
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The charter party between DGE and K Line is said to represent the first long-term charter contract for a newly built LNG vessel, which is expected to play an important role in supporting the global energy supply chain through the safe and efficient seaborne transportation of LNG amid the continued increase in global energy demand.
The Japanese player positioned the LNG business as a top priority area in future investments in its medium-term management plan published in May 2022. K Line claims that it will continue to respond to the diverse needs of its customers to expand its long-term contracts and accommodate the growing energy demand.