On October 10, a naming ceremony was held in Kumamoto prefecture at the Ariake Shipyard of Japan Marine United Corporation for a new VLGC (very large gas carrier) that NYK will charter under a long-term contract to Astomos Energy Corporation, the world's pre-eminent liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) company.

At the ceremony, the ship was named “Lily Promenade” by Kazuhisa Otsuka, senior operating officer at Astomos Energy Corporation, and the ceremonial rope holding the vessel in place was cut by Mariko Kurokawa of Astomos. Akira Kono, NYK managing corporate officer, attended together with others from the company.

The ship is the first new NYK-owned VLGC to include an SOx scrubber that is compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) more stringent SOx emission regulation, which is scheduled to become effective in January 2020. The ship will also be about 10% more energy efficient (reducing CO2 emissions per unit of transport), meeting IMO EEDI phase 1 requirements. In addition, energy-saving devices and low-friction paint will make the ship a more fuel-efficient tanker.

Astomos plays an important role in the LPG business field, which is expected to continue to grow as progress is made in oil refineries and gas field development in the Middle East, the United States, the west coast of Canada, and Australia. NYK will continue to expand its LPG fleet and strengthen its LPG transportation service, in addition to reinforcing the close relationship that NYK and Astomos have shared for so many years.

In accordance with its medium-term management plan “Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green,” the NYK Group seeks to secure stable freight rates through long-term contracts and continue to encourage creative solutions in its efforts to contribute to stable LPG transport services.

- Vessel Particulars
Length overall: 230.00 meters
Breadth: 36.60 meters
Molded depth: 22.20 meters
Cargo tank capacity: about 83,000 cubic meters
Gross tonnage: about 51,000 tons
Shipbuilder: Japan Marine United Corporation
Flag: Panama
Delivery: Scheduled for October 30, 2019