LNG-fuelled tugboats are in use
A delivery ceremony was recently held Kobe port (Japan) for the LNG-fuelled tugboat MOL ordered from Kanagawa dockyard. At the event were officials from the Kobe district transport bureau, the ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism (MLIT), port and urban project bureau, Kobe city government, port and harbour bureau, Osaka prefectural government, and many others.
The Ishin, the first LNG-fuelled tugboat in Western Japan, will be operated by the MOL group’s company Nihon Tug-Boat. The LNG fuel was supplied by Osaka Gas using a truck-to-ship LNG bunkering procedure in the port of Sakai Senboku.
The Ishin is Japan’s first tugboat built to conform to the IGF code (*2). In addition, its excellent environmental performance earned the top rating of four stars from the MLIT's energy-saving rating programme for Japan's coastal ships. (kd)