Naming ceremony held for LNG bunkering vessel

The ceremony was attended by Masashi Asakura, Chief Officer for Production Group of Toyota Motor Corp., Masahiro Kato, Deputy Director-General for Engineering Affairs, Ports and Harbors Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and a number of related parties.

The LNG bunkering vessel was named ‘Kaguya’ by Yukikazu Myochin, President of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd (K-Line) and Hitoshi Nagasawa, President of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), and the ceremonial rope holding the LNG bunkering vessel in place was cut by Sunao Nakamura, Managing Executive Officer of JERA Co. Inc. (JERA) and Toshiro Hidaka, CEO for Machinery, Energy & Project Division of Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Toyota Tsusho).

The LNG bunkering vessel’s name, Kaguya, derives from Princess Kaguya in "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," which is said to be Japan's oldest story. The name also expresses a desire to grow the LNG bunkering market as long and high as a bamboo tree.

Kaguya is the first LNG bunkering vessel to be operated in Japan. Kaguya will be operated by Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corp. Ltd and will be based at JERA's Kawagoe Thermal Power Station. Kaguya will begin supplying LNG fuel to ships in the Chubu region in October or later this year using Ship-to-Ship bunkering.

After the start of operation, Kaguya will supply LNG to Sakura Leader, which is the first large LNG-fuelled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) operated by NYK, and to a new car carrier to be delivered by K-Line this fiscal year, as well as to other LNG-fuelled vessels.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/18092020/naming-ceremony-held-for-lng-bunkering-vessel/