K Line begins construction of LNG-fuelled car carrier

K Line’s Drive Green Highway car carrier; Image courtesy of K Line

Japanese shipbuilder Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has begun the construction of an LNG-fuelled car carrier vessel.

K Line's Drive Green Highway car carrier; Image courtesy of K Line

K Line said on Thursday that the order for the car carrier was made to Imabari Shipbuilding in December 2018. According to the company, the vessel will be completed in the fall of 2020.

The vessel will be 199.9 meters long, about 37.2 meters wide, with around 7,020 vehicles loadable.

In 2015, K Line formulated a long-term environmental management vision with the aim of minimizing all environmental impacts generated by our business activities.

In February 2016, the company launched an environmental-friendly flagship called Drive Green Highway, a car carrier vessel with the next-generation environmental technologies such as energy-saving technologies and SOx scrubbers.

In K Line’s Environmental Vision 2050, the company set the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by half and replacing the majority of energy currently consumed with new energy sources, and this latest LNG-fueled ship will be a next-generation environmental-friendly car carrier vessel for achieving these goals, the company said.