• MOL announces Head on Agreement for joint ownership and 20-year charter contract with Tokyo LNG Tanker
Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced a joint ownership agreement for a newly designed LNG carrier.
Partnering with Tokyo LNG Tanker Co. Ltd., the company has signed a 20-year charter contract for the new build scheduled for delivery in 2017.
Japan Marine United Corporation (JMUC) has been commissioned to build the new vessel.
The new LNG carrier will feature a self-supporting prismatic shape IMO Type B (SPB) cargo tank.
The tank, designed by IHI Corporation in collaboration with JMUC, is made so that the majority of the tank is covered by the hull, resulting in reduced water resistance. This in turn increases fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 output.
The 300-metre long vessel will hold up to 165,000-cubic metres of LNG and is expected to be used in operations transporting the fuel from the Cove Point LNG Project in the US to Tokyo Gas.
MOL is currently involved in operating nine of 12 LNG carriers owned and managed by Tokyo LNG Tanker, including the new build, of which it directly manages six.