On March 28, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Shimonoseki Shipbuilding and Machinery Works’ Enoura Plant delivered the newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel KEYS Azalea to KEYS Bunkering West Japan Corporation (KEYS), a joint venture between Kyushu Electric Power, Japan Post, Itochu Corporation and Seibu Gas. KEYS is a joint venture established by Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., NYK Line, ITOCHU ENEX CO.,LTD., and Saibu Gas Co., Ltd.
KEYS Azalea was ordered in March 2022 and launched in July 2023. With an overall length of 82.4 meters, KEYS Azalea is Japan’s first LNG bunkering vessel equipped with dual-fuel engines that can use both LNG and heavy fuel oil as fuel.
After delivery, the LNG bunkering vessel will participate in the LNG coastal transportation business, in addition to LNG bunkering for oceangoing vessels calling at ports in the Kyushu-Setouchi area. This will be Japan’s first LNG bunkering project to supply LNG to vessels over the vast Kyushu and Setouchi area.
LNG serves as a transitional solution for decarbonizing the shipping industry, producing virtually no sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by about 80% and CO2 emissions by 30%.