Japan’s ‘biggest’ cruise ship fills up with LNG at Yokohama Port

Japan’s ‘largest cruise ship ever’, the ASUKA III, recently received liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the Port of Yokohama, marking the inaugural LNG bunkering operation for a vessel of this type in the country.

According to NYK Cruises, an arm of Japan’s maritime industry major NYK Group, Asuka III was supplied with liquefied natural gas at the Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal from June 10 to June 11.

The bunkering was reportedly done using the truck-to-ship transport method. This is a process where LNG-powered ships dock at a berth capable of supplying the fuel, which, in turn, is transferred from onshore tank trucks.

Over the course of two days, NYK Cruises said that a total of four tanks were used to supply liquefied natural gas to the 52,200 dwt Asuka III. As informed, this marked the “first ever” LNG bunkering operation involving a cruise ship in the East Asian nation.

The 230-meter-long and 29.8-meter-wide cruise ship, the construction of which began in fall 2023, was floated out of German shipbuilder Meyer Werft’s building dock in Papenburg in late January this year. The newbuilding is said to be the first passenger ship built under the supervision of the Japanese flag in the past 30 years.

After journeying to the Dutch Port of Eemshaven in March, the unit was finally delivered to its owner in mid-April. On its way to its home Port of Yokohama, Asuka III made a stop in Singapore at the very end of May, where it was supplied with liquefied natural gas for the first time.

LNG bunkering has been available at the Port of Yokohama since as early as 2015, when the port welcomed what was hailed as the first LNG-fueled tugboat, the Sakigake, and conducted a truck-to-ship bunkering operation. As informed, Sakigake was Japan’s first vessel to be powered by this alternative fuel. The unit’s successor carries the same name, but is ‘the world’s first’ ammonia-fueled unit intended for commercial use.

Supplying ships with liquefied natural gas for Yokohama Port is part of the Japanese government’s vision to turn Yokohama into a carbon-neutral port. This is part of the country’s broader effort to hit its 2050 zero-emission target.

Numerous maritime industry players, including NYK Line and NYK Cruises, have helped push these endeavors forward. To remind, the two arms of the NYK Group, Ecobunker Shipping, and Yokohama City penned an agreement to commence LNG bunkering operations back in May 2021.