NYK, Astomos Energy christen new dual-fuel LPG carrier

As their first jointly owned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier in 21 years, NYK and Astomos Energy have named the new vessel Gas Garnet.

The companies held a naming ceremony at the Sakaide Works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries on March 1, 2024.

The 86,953 m3 capacity vessel was christened Gas Garnet by Yoshihito Takahashi, senior executive officer of Astomos Energy. This is the first jointly owned LPG vessel by the companies after they shared ownership of Gas Capricorn from 2003.

The vessel has a breadth of 37.2 meters, and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine that uses heavy oil and LPG.

In addition, the ship is equipped with a shaft generator that generates electricity by rotating the shaft connecting the main engine to the propeller, enabling the vessel to stop operating the diesel generator during standard navigation and realize full LPG-fueled navigation.

According to NYK, a small amount of heavy oil is used as pilot fuel for LPG fuel ignition.

Compared to conventional heavy oil-fueled vessels, SOx (sulfur oxides) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the exhaust gas are reduced by more than 95% and 20%, respectively, when the ship is fueled by LPG.