MOL's second LNG ferry enters service

Murasaki is a sister ship to Sunflower Kurenai, which entered service in January. Sunflower Murasaki will ply the Osaka-Beppu route between Sunflower Ferry Terminal in Osaka Prefecture and Beppu International Tourist Port in Oita Prefecture, replacing the existing vessel Sunflower Cobalt. 

Compared with earlier ferries, the new vessel offers greater transport capacity and convenience for both cargo and passenger transport. It has greater capacity to load trucks and provides a larger, more comfortable room for truck drivers. In addition, the floor area of the bathroom is doubled, the number of seats in the restaurant was enlarged by 1.5 times, and spacious and open public areas including a three-layer atrium were created. 

MOL said the new ferry is intended to promote and enhance the company’s ‘Casual Cruise Concept’, a way to allow customers to enjoy cruising as a high-quality means of travel by using regular service routes. 

The vessel features a high-performance dual-fuel engine which can run on both LNG and heavy fuel oil. LNG use is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 25%, and eliminate nearly all sulphur oxide emissions. 

Wider LNG fuel use is a crucial part of MOL Group’s strategy towards achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The group is also helping to develop and advance an LNG fuel supply system in Japan and overseas.  

This week, an MOL-led project to develop an ammonia-fuelled gas carrier received an approval in principle from Japan’s classification society ClassNK. 

Finally, this October, MOL Ferry Co and Ferry Sunflower will merge, leaving MOL Ferry as the surviving company.

The new ferry company plans to operate four LNG-fuelled ferries, adding two in 2025 to replace current vessels in service on the Oarai-Tomakomai route in addition to the two vessels already operated by Ferry Sunflower.