On December 13, a naming ceremony was held at the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier that NYK had ordered from MI LNG Company Ltd.* The ceremony was attended by Toshihiro Sano, chairman of TEPCO Fuel & Power Inc. (headquarters: Tokyo, president: Seiji Moriya); Hendrik Gordenker, chairman of JERA Co. Inc. (headquarters: Tokyo, president: Yuji Kakimi); ** Yasumi Kudo, chairman of NYK; and a number of related parties.

At the ceremony, the ship was named “Pacific Mimosa” by Mr. Sano of TEPCO Fuel & Power, and the ceremonial rope holding the vessel in place was cut by Mr. Sano’s wife. The ship’s main port of call will be in Australia, and the vessel derives its name from Australia’s national flower, which is part of the Mimosa family.

The ship will be delivered in March 2018 and assigned to transport LNG for JERA from the Wheatstone LNG project — in which JERA, Mitsubishi Corporation (head office: Tokyo; president and CEO: Takehiko Kakiuchi), and NYK participate. LNG Marine Transport Ltd.*** will be responsible for the operational management of the vessel.

NYK will continue its efforts for stable energy transport.


* MI LNG Company, Ltd.
Jointly established by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Imabari Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.

**JERA Co. Inc.
Jointly established by TEPCO Fuel & Power Inc. and Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc.

*** LNG Marine Transport Ltd.
Jointly established by JERA Co. Inc. (70%), Mitsubishi Corporation (15%), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (15%). Responsible for operational management of the maritime transport of LNG.

- Outline of “Pacific Mimosa”
Length overall: 288 meters
Breadth: 48.94 meters
Main engine: steam turbine
Gross tonnage: 138,000 tons
Cargo tank capacity: 155,300 cubic meters
Shipbuilder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Flag: Japan

- Reference
Announcement on October 10, 2017, “LNG Production Gets Underway at Australia's Wheatstone LNG Project,” http://www.nyk.com/english/news/2017/1188954_1553.html

Announcement on May 8, 2014, “NYK Concludes Charter Contract with TEPCO Subsidiary for New LNG Carrier,” http://www.nyk.com/english/release/3132/003287.html

Announcement on June 18, 2012, “NYK Jointly Participates in Wheatstone LNG Project,” http://www.nyk.com/english/release/1964/NE_120618.html