en.Wedoany.com Reported - NYK held a naming ceremony on July 7 at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Sakaide Works for its newly built very large gas carrier (VLGC), named "Lyla Pathfinder." This is the eighth dual-fuel LPG carrier in NYK's fleet that uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel. Upon completion, the vessel will be chartered by BGN INT FZCO, an LPG trader headquartered in the UAE, for global LPG transportation operations.
The "Lyla Pathfinder" is equipped with a dual-fuel engine capable of running on heavy fuel oil and LPG. The vessel utilizes a shaft generator to generate electricity from the rotational energy of the shaft connecting the main engine to the propeller, significantly reducing the diesel fuel typically consumed by generators, allowing it to operate almost entirely on LPG. In LPG fuel mode, sulfur oxide emissions are reduced by over 95%, and greenhouse gas emissions are cut by more than 20% compared to traditional heavy fuel oil. The vessel is also capable of transporting ammonia, which emits no carbon dioxide during combustion and is considered a potential zero-carbon energy carrier.
The vessel has an overall length of 229.90 meters, a beam of 37.20 meters, a depth of 21.90 meters, a summer draft of 11.65 meters, and a cargo tank capacity of 86,934.898 cubic meters. As an LPG dual-fuel carrier, the vessel's tank design and technical configuration fully consider the specific requirements of LPG transportation. Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Sakaide Works has extensive experience in building VLGCs, and this naming marks the continued collaboration between NYK and Kawasaki Heavy Industries in the construction of dual-fuel vessels.
The application of LPG dual-fuel technology is one of the pathways for emission reduction in the shipping industry. NYK continues to advance the deployment of LPG dual-fuel vessels, with Lyla Pathfinder being the latest addition to its fleet. The design and construction of this series of vessels reflect the role of LPG as a transition fuel in the maritime decarbonization process.
