Sanoyas Shipbuilding has become the latest yard to offer LNG-fueled tonnage with a design for a woodchip carrier that can burn the greener fuel.
The mid-sized Japanese shipbuilder has positioned the LNG tanks in the stern section, aft of the living quarters so as not to sacrifice cargo capacity.
The builder also made effective use of internal space, by locating the LNG fuel supply as close as possible to the engine room, reported Braemar ACM.
The builder attained the AIP from ClassNK and usage of the LNG-fuelled propulsion system reportedly makes it possible to exceed the upcoming EEDI-2030 Phase by over 30%.
Braemar said Sanoyas has also designed its own LNG fuel tanks and it is assumed that the LNG fuel supply system will be designed/installed by Sanoyas itself to control costs and maintain quality.
Sanoyas claims to be the leading shipbuilder in Japan for this type of vessel having constructed over 50 woodchip carriers.
Unlike normal bulkers, vessels carrying a low specific gravity of chips are measured in terms of cargo hold capacity rather than deadweight capacity.
Wood chip carriers are typically equipped with cranes, hoppers and belt conveyors for enabling the efficient unloading of the wood chips.
Separately, Braemar reported that five woodchip carriers have been ordered in Japan by domestic owners in recent months.
Two carriers were contracted at Onomichi Shipyard for mid-2021 deliveries, while three were ordered at Iwagi Zosen, delivering from late 2020 to early 2021.
Each of the ships has a capacity of 3.6m-cbft and is reported to be scrubber-ready. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Braemar said the improvement in fuel efficiency is expected to be around 15% when compared to the current in-service vessels.
