On April 19, a naming ceremony was held at the Nagasaki Shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier owned by a joint company established by NYK, the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Toho LNG Shipping Co. Ltd. (Toho LNG Shipping),* and Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. (Tohoku Electric Power).

At the ceremony, the ship was named “Diamond Gas Sakura” by Yoshiro Tominari, representative director and president of Toho Gas Co. Ltd., and Toshinori Abe, director managing executive officer of Tohoku Electric Power, both of whom represent the purchasers of the LNG. The ceremonial rope holding the vessel in place was cut by their wives. The ceremony was attended by many related parties, including Akira Kono, NYK managing corporate officer, and other representatives from the shipowners.

The NYK Group will be responsible for ship management, and after delivery on May 15, 2019, the new ship will transport LNG from the U.S. state of Louisiana for the Cameron LNG project, as well as from other locations around the world, under a long-term time-charter contract with Diamond Gas International Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of MC. NYK and MC both have a stake in the Cameron LNG project.

As with Diamond Gas Orchid and Diamond Gas Rose delivered last year, Diamond Gas Sakura is a Sayaringo STaGE*** LNG carrier equipped with a cutting-edge LNG cargo tank structure and propulsion system. This allows the ship to realize a highly efficient LNG-carrying capacity, as well as reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

In accordance with its medium-term management plan “Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green,” the NYK Group continues to secure stable freight rates through the promotion of the company’s LNG feet plan.

* Toho LNG Shipping Co. Ltd.
A wholly owned LNG vessel owning company of Toho Gas Co. Ltd.

** Diamond LNG Shipping 3 Pte. Ltd.
Established in Singapore for LNG vessel ownership and transportation of LNG. The company is owned by NYK (40%), MC (40%), Toho LNG Shipping (10%), and Tohoku Electric Power (10%).

*** Sayaringo STaGE
An LNG carrier that has a continuous steel cover that reduces ship weight and air resistance while increasing LNG-carrying capacity. The name “Sayaringo” is derived from the fact that the upper semi-sphere of the tank is larger than the lower semi-sphere, resembling the shape of a pea pod (“saya” in Japanese) covering an apple (“ringo” in Japanese). In addition, the ship is equipped with a hybrid propulsion system named STaGE (Steam Turbine and Gas Engines), a highly efficient reheating steam-type marine turbine, and a dual-fuel diesel electric propulsion engine capable of operating on both gas and oil, which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

- Outline
Length overall: 293.5 meters
Breadth: 48.94 meters
Gross tonnage: 144,828 tons
Main engine: STaGE (Steam Turbine and Gas Engines)
Cargo tank capacity: 165,000 cubic meters
Shipbuilder: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Structure Co. Ltd.
Flag: Bahamas