First LNG ferries in Japan with Yanmar engines

The Japanese marine engine manufacturer Yanmar has received an order from Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) to supply dual fuel 8EY26LDF engines (LNG and marine diesel oil - MDO) to power the onboard generators of the first two Japanese LNG-powered ferries.

The Yanmar engines are destined for two ferries - provisionally named Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki - which will be built at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding's Shimonoseki shipyard. After delivery, Ferry Sunflower - a company of the MOL group - will charter the ferries on the Osaka-Beppu route, respectively starting from the end of 2022 and the first half of 2023, replacing two ships currently in service.

The power of the eight-cylinder engines is 1,730 kW with a speed of 720 rpm and a generation capacity of 1,600 kWe. With excellent acceleration performance and high thermal efficiency, Yanmar claims its 8EY26LDF engines "maintain optimum combustion, enabling stable and highly reliable operation."