Japanese shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines (Mol) has commissioned a new very large gas carrier (VLGC) for French refiner TotalEnergies to deliver LPG and ammonia, Mol announced today.
Mol has delivered the 88,000 m³ Energia Grandeur from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries' Mokpo shipyard on 29 January. Mol signed a charter agreement with TotalEnergies' shipping arm CSSA, although the charter period is undisclosed.
The VLGC can use LPG as a bunker fuel from a cargo tank because the LPG fuel tank is connected to a cargo tank. It is possible to reduce more than 90pc of sulphur oxides and more than 20pc of CO2 when the vessel uses LPG as a marine fuel compared with conventional fuel oil, Mol said.
Japan is currently importing about 10mn t of LPG from overseas to cover 11.5mn t of domestic demand, according to the Japan LPG Association. Meti expects the downward trend will be driven further by technology innovation and highly efficient equipment which can cut users' consumption volumes. But Japan expects demand for ammonia as a fuel to increase to 3mn t/yr by 2030 and to 30mn t/yr by 2050. Japan has set a goal of a 20pc ammonia co-firing rate at domestic coal-fired power generation plants by 2030 and above 50pc by 2050 to achieve the country's 2050 decarbonisation goal.
