On August 1, 2016, Sanoyasu Shipbuilding Corporation (President: Takashi Ueda, headquartered in Kita-ku, Osaka) and Seika Engineering Co., Ltd. (President: Katsuji Fukutani) obtained a approval of ClassNK (Japan Ship Classification Society) for their low-pressure gas supply system for LNG fueled ships which had been developed jointly. It is Japan’s first approval and they are going to sell the system in commercial terms for the first time in Japan.

The world-wide enhancement to control exhausted gases at sea has been promoted these years. In the ECA (Emission Control Area) like North Sea or Baltic Sea, the concentration of SOx in fuel oils was restricted to 0.1%down from 1% ahead of others in January 2015, and it will be followed by other areas in general from the current 3.5% to 0.5 % effective from 2020 or 2025. As for NOx, it also turned out to be compulsory for the ships built after January of this year and navigate in the ECA to reduce discharges by 80% of the standard enacted in 2000.

As a prospective means to respond to such restrictions, LNG-fueled vessels have drawn people’s attention. In the recent world a transfer of fuel is being on the way especially in Norway and North European countries. It is presumed that more than 80 LNG-fueled ships had been built by the end of 2015. In Japan, NYK completed its LNG-fueled ship (tugboat) in last September for the first time in Japan, but Sanoyasu Shipbuilding and Seika Engineering obtained the first approval of ClassNK necessary for commercializing such kind of ships. The approval granted to the two companies covers two subjects, “Standard Design for LNG-fueled Supply System” and “Standard Structural Drawing for LNG tank, Vaporizer, etc.”

The system consists of the main 4-stroke engine of dual fuel type responsive to both LNG and heavy oil, two units of LNG tank (41m3), two units of vaporizer (400kg/h), two units of pressured evaporator and one unit of buffer tank. Seika Engineering is in charge of designing and production of LNG tank, vaporizer and buffer tank out of them. For the time being, the sales activities will be focused on coasters such as the feeder container ships working for the transportation from the main port to container yards. The development of supply bases will become an important subject for the diffusion of LNG-fueled vessels.

Representative Director and executive officer Shuhei Yamamoto of Sanoyasu Shipbuilding said, “A way for widespread would be opened by development in both ships and infrastructures. As for ships, all companies including us are tackling developments, but we wish the same in infrastructures. We expect supports by the Government.” At present, as a matter of fact, the development of LNG bunkering supply bases is being discussed now in Yokohama mainly by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Nihon Yusen and Tokyo Gas.