Ship Photos of the Day - Japan's First LNG Tug, SAKIGAKE

Photo: MarineTraffic.com/S_Matsui

The first LNG-fueled tug to operate in Japanese waters has been delivered to NYK Line.

The new tug, named Sakigake, was delivered by Keihin Dock Co. Ltd.on August 31 and is expected “confirm the viability of LNG as a marine fuel and to help cultivate a new business field in the area of LNG as an environment-friendly marine fuel,” says NYK.

Sakigake has been chartered to Wing Maritime Service Corporation and will be operated mainly at the ports of Yokohama and Kawasaki.

The tug is equipped with dual-fuel engine that can run on either liquified natural gas or diesel oil. LNG fuel for the vessel will be delivered via a tanker truck at a pier in Yokohama, with LNG supplied by Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.. In July 2015 a trial fueling of the vessel from a tanker truck was successfully carried out for the first time in Japan.

The project to build the tug received subsidies from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.