Ship of the Year Award Devoted to NYK Vessel
Japan's first LNG-fueled ship, which is a tugboat owned by NYK has been recognized with a Technology Special Award at the 2015 Ship of the Year Awards.
According to MANA, "Ship of The Year Award" 2015 has been devoted to Sakigake sponsored by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE) due to the tugboat’s environmental performance, design, and technological developments. Sakigake was built by Keihin Dock Co. Ltd. and delivered in August 2015. The tug has been chartered to Wing Maritime Service Corporation from NYK.
The NYK-owned Sakigake is equipped with dual-fuel engines that can use not only diesel oil but also LNG. Compared with conventional tugboats that use marine diesel oil, Sakigake emits about 30 percent less carbon dioxide, 80 percent less nitrogen oxide, and absolutely no sulfur oxide when using LNG as fuel.
And this is not the first time for the NYK Group to be honored. The group’s cruise ship Crystal Harmony, which has since been refurbished and rebranded as Asuka II, was recognized as ”Ship of the Year" in 1990. NYK-Hinode Line Ltd.’s two module carriers Yamatai and Yamato were given special awards in 2010. And the NYK-owned coal carrier Soyo was selected as "Ship of the Year" in 2013.
In accordance with the NYK Group’s “More Than Shipping 2018” management plan, the construction of the world’s first LNG-fueled car carrier and LNG bunkering vessel will be taken into consideration.
The project to build Sakigake received subsidies from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which support projects promising energy-saving logistics and innovative maritime transport improvements.