Today’s ship photos show the MOSS-type LNG carrier, Esshu Maru, transiting the new locks of the expanded Panama Canal.
The Esshu Maru was delivered in December 2014 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It is the first of three LNG carriers (2nd and 3rd vessels coming in 2018) that will eventually sail under a long-term charter contracts with Japan’s Chubu Electric Power Co. for the transport of gas from the Freeport LNG project in the U.S. to Japan once the project is operational in 2018.
The Bahamas-flagged vessel features a 153,000 square meter Moss-type non-spherical tank. It has a LOA of 288 meters and a beam of 49 meters. It is managed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
Bonus Video: October Transits Through Expanded Panama Canal