NYK Delivers Lyla Pathfinder, Eighth Dual-Fuel LPG Carrier

NYK held the naming ceremony for a new Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC), named Lyla Pathfinder, at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Sakaide Works.

This unit is the eighth dual-fuel LPG carrier commissioned by NYK. Upon completion of its construction, the vessel will be chartered by BGN INT FZCO, one of the world's leading LPG operators, for global transportation of this fuel.

The ceremony was attended by Takayuki Koike, BGN's Head of LPG. Masao Kawakami, BGN's LPG Operator, officially named the vessel Lyla Pathfinder, after which Wendy Jungsuk Kwon, also a BGN LPG Operator, performed the traditional rope-cutting.

The vessel is designed not only to transport LPG but also to store ammonia, a next-generation clean energy source that does not emit CO₂ during combustion.

The Lyla Pathfinder is equipped with a dual-fuel engine capable of running on both heavy fuel oil and LPG. By harnessing the rotational energy of the shaft connecting the main engine to the propeller for power generation, the vessel significantly reduces the need for diesel fuel typically consumed by generators, allowing for almost complete operation on LPG.

When LPG is used as fuel, sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions in the exhaust gases are reduced by over 95%, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by over 20% compared to conventional heavy fuel oil. Furthermore, the vessel is designed to transport ammonia, a clean energy source whose demand is expected to increase in the future.

The ship has a length of 229.90 meters, a beam of 37 meters, a draft of 11 meters, and a tank capacity of 86,934 m³.