THE largest and oldest of Japan's international ocean carrier companies, MOL, has been obtained approval for four LNG-powered 20,000 TEU containerships that have been under construction with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI).
DNVGL, a registrar and classification society headquartered in Germany, has approved plans for the series of containerships. Construction of the vessels began in 2015 after MOL anticipated using LNG as a fuel, Port Technology reported.
Global regulations on exhaust emissions are becoming tighter for merchant vessels due to more action being taken by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), other specialised international bodies and countries all over the world.
MOL has found through next-generation clean fuel studies that the use of LNG to replace conventional 'heavy' fuel oil can significantly reduce emissions of CO2, a major contributor to global warming, as well as NOX and SOX, which cause acid rain and other problems.
The first vessel of the series, the MOL Triumph, was delivered on March 27, 2017, and can be converted to run on LNG fuel when the LNG supply is commercially completed. MOL will take the delivery of the second 20,000 TEU-class vessel in May 2017.