Kawasaki Heavy delivers LPG-fueled LPG/ammonia carrier to Eneos
Kawasaki Heavy delivers LPG-fueled LPG/ammonia carrier to Eneos - Offshore Energy
Kawasaki Heavy delivers LPG-fueled LPG/ammonia carrier to Eneos
Japanese shipbuilder Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has delivered a new LPG-powered LPG/ammonia carrier to compatriot Eneos Ocean Corporation.
The vessel, named Eneos Gunjo, was delivered on September 29, 2023, as the second of Kawasaki’s LPG-fueled LPG/ammonia carriers with 86,700 cubic meter capacity.
So far, Kawasaki has completed eight LPG-powered vessels and the Eneos Gunjo is its 72nd LPG carrier in total.
The vessel is equipped with separate cargo tanks that are capable of simultaneously transporting LPG and ammonia. It is designed to increase cargo tank capacity while keeping its principal dimensions like LOA and beam similar to conventional-type vessels so that the carrier can be berthed at major LPG terminals around the world, the shipbuilder explained.
Moreover, the concept design for a system that utilizes ammonia as fuel on this vessel has been approved by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). Therefore, it is possible to modify ship design specifications to enable the use of ammonia as fuel in the future.
Kawasaki said it plans to continue to develop and provide environmental-friendly ship technologies with a focus on LPG carriers and LPG/ammonia carriers powered by LPG, as well as other types of merchant vessels in compliance with the latest environmental regulations,— including liquefied hydrogen carriers, the cargo of which is expected to be a fuel that is gaining popularity as a next-generation energy source.
Related Knowledge Center: Liquefied natural gas
Driven by plentiful natural gas produced from shale plays, the United States began exporting liquefied natural gas in 2016 when the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana opened and shipped its first cargo. Since then, additional capacity, or trains, have been added to Sabine Pass, and terminals have become operational in Cameron Parish, La.; Hackberry, La.; Cove Point, Md.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world, behind Australia and Qatar. The tariff war with China has the potential to impact some final investment decisions for additional terminals in the coming months.