The world's first LNG-fueled Panamax-class¹ coal carrier, which was being built by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha ("NYK") and Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. ("Kyuden"), was delivered on October 2. The vessel was named "Shoyo"² in a naming ceremony held at the Koyagi Shipyard of Oshima Shipyard Co., Ltd., and began operations after completing the first bunkering.³

NYK operates the vessel and transports coal from overseas to Kyuden's coal-fired power plants. The use of LNG fuel offers excellent environmental performance compared with traditional marine fuels, virtually eliminating sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions and reducing approximately 80% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 30% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. We continue to contribute to realizing a low-carbon society amid the tightening of environmental regulations worldwide.

Shoyo received its LNG-fuel supply at the port of Tobata (Fukuoka Prefecture) on October 12. Bunkering was carried out via shore-to-ship, which supplies fuel directly from the handling facility on shore to the vessel. This was the first shore-to-ship bunkering for an oceangoing LNG-fueled vessel in Japan. The ship is designed to be compatible with both shore-to-ship and ship-to-ship bunkering, the latter of which is the supply of LNG fuel from an LNG bunkering vessel to a ship. From March 2024, a newly built LNG-fueled bunkering vessel based in the Setouchi and Kyushu area could deliver LNG fuel through ship-to-ship bunkering.

NYK and Kyuden will continue actively working to achieve stable fuel transportation and reduce environmental impact.

Name: Shoyo
Operating company: NYK
LOA: 235.0 meters
Breadth: 38.0 meters
Deadweight Tonnage: 95,233 tons
Year built: 2023
Shipyard: Oshima Shipyard
Port of Registration: Matsuura (Japan)

¹ Panamax-class
Ships having a deadweight tonnage of 70,000 to 99,999 DWT are categorized as Panamax-class bulkers. According to a survey by NYK Research Group, as of October 2023, Shoyo is the world's first LNG-fueled Panamax bulker.

² Shoyo
The name "Shoyo" was inspired by a sunset from the Tsuchiya terraced rice fields in the city of Matsuura in Nagasaki Prefecture, where Kyuden's coal-fired power plant is located. Tsuchiya terraced rice fields have been selected as one of the 100-best terraced rice fields. Shoyo means "brighten” and has a name that is similar to the LNG carrier "Pacific Enlighten," which is owned by NYK, Kyuden, and others. Shoyo’s port of registration is Matsuura, the origin of the ship's name.

³ Bunkering
Supplying LNG fuel to vessels.

⁴ Kitakyushu Liquefied Natural Gas Co., Inc., is a 75% owned subsidiary of Kyuden
President: Kenji Okada
Headquarters: Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka

⁵ A long-term transport agreement between NYK and Kyuden was concluded on December 25, 2019.