Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced that on January 21, the LNG-fueled ferry Sunflower Kamuy, owned by MOL and operated by its group company MOL Sunflower Ltd. (President & CEO: Hirotoshi Ushioku; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), entered service in Oarai. The vessel will serve the Oarai-Tomakomai route between Ibaraki Prefecture and Hokkaido as a replacement for the Sunflower Daisetsu.

“The LNG-fueled ferry Sunflower Kamuy”

The adoption of various state-of-the-art technologies, such as the “Ishin”(Note 1) ship design which utilizes lift from oblique headwinds as propulsive power, and the “Spray Tearing Plate (STEP)” energy-saving device developed by Naikai Zosen Corporation (President: Hiroshi Terao; Headquarters: Onomichi-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture) and other companies, in addition to the installation of high-propulsion engines, which mainly use LNG fuel, can now reduce CO2 emissions by about 35% compared to current vessels in service.

Hall

MOL will also strive to support Japan’s modal shift and solve the “2024 logistics problem” by expanding the loading space for cargo vehicles compared to vessels now in service and providing cabins for all truck drivers for greater comfort. In addition, the new ferry features newly introduced facilities such as a Gym, Kids Space, Promenade along with the same Grand Bath with views of the sea and Sauna as before, and other enhanced public spaces. It also includes new pet-friendly rooms that allow passengers to bring their pets along when they travel.

Grand Bath

The vessel will be the third LNG-fueled ferry operated by MOL Sunflower, following the Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki, which have been in service on the Osaka-Beppu route from 2023.

Passenger room (Superior With Pet)

Along with the sister vessel Sunflower Pirka, scheduled to enter service in early summer 2025, MOL Sunflower will operate a fleet of four LNG-fueled ferries on the Oarai-Tomakomai route and the Osaka-Beppu route within 2025. MOL Sunflower operates 10 ferries and 4 RORO vessels on 6 routes throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, providing a stable service for both logistics and passengers with the largest fleet and the most extensive route network in Japan.

Passenger room (Comfort S Twin)

The MOL Group aims to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, and in line with the “MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2,” the group will continue to pursue a strategy of adopting clean alternative fuels to achieve decarbonization and low carbon emissions.

MOL Sunflower Service Routes

The group not only leads the way in environmental responsiveness in the coastal ferry business, but also continues to research and study the use of new fuels as alternatives to LNG in the future, intending to be the first in the industry to take a proactive approach.
Source: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines