LNG Bunkering Vessel to Start Operation in Tokyo Bay in 2020

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Masayuki Hyodo), Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port Corporation (Head Office: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; President & CEO: Masamichi Morooka; hereinafter, “YKIP”), and Uyeno Transtech Ltd. (Head Office: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Chairman & President: Takashi Ueno; hereinafter, “Uyeno Transtech”) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “the trio”) have ordered an LNG Bunkering Vessel(Note 1; hereinafter, “the Vessel”) from Japan Marine United Corporation via Ecobunker Shipping Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and CEO: Shu Nakamura; hereinafter, “Ecobunker Shipping”), a joint venture established by the trio.

After jointly studying the commercial feasibility of Ship-To-Ship LNG Bunkering Business in Tokyo Bay (Note 2) (hereinafter, “the Business”), the trio recently came to an official decision on launching the Business, and will move ahead with constructing the Vessel and preparing for its operation with the aim of starting services in 2020.

The Vessel will be Asia’s first Bunkering Vessel able to supply both LNG fuel (Note 3) and compliant marine fuel oil (Note 4), and it is expected to have the world’s largest gross tonnage for such Bunkering Vessel at 4,100 tons. Its LNG tank capacity will be 2,500m3 (the equivalent of around 1,500 tons of marine fuel oil), making it possible to supply the LNG fuel needed for a round trip between Asia and North America (Note 5). The oil tank will have a capacity of 1,500m3, making it one of the largest for a bunkering vessel operating in Tokyo Bay. The oil tank will be converted to a LNG tank depending on LNG fuel demand growth in Tokyo Bay.

SOx emission restriction in general sea areas is scheduled to go into effect on 1st January 2020, and it is anticipated that other environmental regulations will be imposed tightly in near future, such as greenhouse gas emission restriction in accordance with the Paris Agreement. The trio will be undertaking the Business through Ecobunker Shipping to promote wide spread of eco-friendly bunker and to make Tokyo Bay one of the world’s LNG bunkering hubs.

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■ Basic vessel specifications
Length	:	Approx. 95.57 m
Beam	:	Approx. 15.8 m
Draft	:	Approx. 4.4 m
Gross tonnage	:	Approx. 4,100 mt
LNG tank capacity	:	2,500m3
Compliant marine fuel oil capacity	:	1,500m3
Home port	:	Port of Yokohama

■ Profile of Ecobunker Shipping
Name of company	:	Ecobunker Shipping Co., Ltd.
Shareholders	:	Sumitomo Corporation, YKIP, Uyeno Transtech
Location	:	Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
Date established	:	November 5, 2018