Japan has just delivered a giant liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker that could cut nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by up to 85 percent and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 30 percent.
Named Tsurugidake, the massive vessel was built by Tokyo-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries and delivered to Sequoia Navigation Inc. at a shipyard in Dalian, China on October 14, 2026. It is 1,114 feet (339.5 meters) long and boasts a deadweight capacity of 310,020 tons. On top of that, the tanker measures 197 feet (60 meters) wide and 94.8 feet (28.9 meters) deep, with a molded draft of 69 feet (21 meters).
The ship is the fourth LNG-fueled very large crude carrier (VLCC) delivered by the Kawasaki Group. As per the firm, the supertanker was built at the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering (DACKS) shipyard in China. The shipyard is a joint venture between Kawasaki and China COSCO Shipping Corporation.
“This new design greatly reduces wave-making resistance from bow waves during navigation, enabling greater propulsive performance,” Kawasaki officials revealed.
A dual-fuel tanker
According to Kawasaki, the vessel features a dual-fuel engine. It can operate on both liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as low-sulfur fuel oil. When running on LNG, the engine could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 25 percent to 30 percent compared to conventional heavy-oil engines.
The company also estimates that NOx emissions can be cut by 85 percent, and sulfur oxide emissions (SOx) can be eliminated entirely. This means transporting crude oil over long distances could become less polluting.
The tanker is powered by an electronically controlled, seven-cylinder, two-stroke MAN B&W 7G80ME-C10.5-GI-HPSCR engine. As a result, it can efficiently operate at low speeds. Meanwhile, the ship is also equipped with a large-diameter, high-efficiency propeller to reduce fuel consumption during voyages.
Kawasaki pointed out that it complies with Phase 3 of the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirements. The standards require applicable new ships to reach a 30 percent improvement in design energy efficiency compared with the original baseline.
A more efficient hull
The supertanker features a redesigned bow intended to improve its performance at sea. Conventional oil tankers typically feature a bulbous bow extending below the waterline. But the novel vessel has a different shape. “Kawasaki’s new VLCC replaces the conventional bulbous bow with a newly designed bow form that extends the vessel’s length at the waterline,” the company said.
With a cargo capacity of 352,151 cubic meters, the ship can travel at about 15.45 knots. It can accommodate up to 37 crew members. Kawasaki has also installed SOx scrubbers on the exhaust outlets of the main engine as well as the onboard power-generation system.
These devices are crucial because they remove sulfur oxides from exhaust gases. This means that the ship can use fuel oil and still meet the emission limits.
They also allow greater fuel flexibility. “By installing this equipment, the cost for fuel oil is expected to be reduced since the conventional fuel oil will still be compatible after the regulation reinforcement,” the company concluded in a press release.