MOL Launches LNG-Fueled Ferry

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has held the naming and launching ceremony for the LNG-fueled ferry Sunflower Pirka, under construction at Naikai Zosen Corporation.

The LNG-fueled tugboat Ishin, operated by MOL Group company Nihon Tug-Boat, assisted with towing operations during the launch of the ferry.

MOL will proactively adopt LNG, a low-carbon fuel that can be put to practical use immediately, and lead the world toward the realization of a low-carbon/decarbonized society.

The ferry was given the name Sunflower Pirka, and is slated for delivery from Naikai Zosen in April 2025.

It will then enter service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route operated by MOL Sunflower.

With the newbuilding ferry, the Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki already in service on the Osaka-Beppu route since 2023, and the sister ship Sunflower Kamuy, which is scheduled to enter service in early 2025 as the first ship on the Oarai-Tomakomai route, the MOL Group will operate a fleet of four LNG-fueled ferries on East-West routes in Japan.