March 5th 2026, Japan.  Ahead of SEA-LNG Member Osaka Gas’s launch of Ship-to-Ship (StS) LNG bunkering operations next month, a naming ceremony was held today at Shitanoe Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Usuki-City, Oita Prefecture for the LNG bunkering vessel currently under construction by Osaka Bay LNG Shipping Co., Ltd., in which Osaka Gas International Transport Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka Gas, has invested.

Named “SETO AZURE” after the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea—one of the locations where the company’s StS bunkering business will take place—the bunkering vessel is scheduled to
commence operations upon its launch in April 2026.  With Osaka Gas selling and providing LNG, SETO AZURE will supply LNG to LNG-fueled ships, including capsize bulkers operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).  The introduction of StS bunkering method complements Osaka Gas’s existing bunkering operations, which currently utilise Truck-to-Ship and Port-to-Ship methods.

An increasing number of LNG-fueled vessels have come into operation in recent years, driven by the global trend of marine fuel decarbonization and the target set by The International Maritime Organization to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  LNG-fueled vessels can reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to the traditional use of heavy oil as marine fuel; however, the shortage of LNG fuel facilities across Japan poses a challenge to this effort.

LNG BV SETO AZURE is 86.29m in length, 17.6m in breadth and ~4350 GT.  She has an IMO Type C independent tank of ~3,610cbm.

With its newly comprehensive bunkering service that covers all three major bunkering methods, Osaka Gas intends to contribute further to a stable and flexible LNG fuel supply.  The Daigas Group intends to expand the LNG bunkering business, and based on the “Daigas Group Energy Transition 2050” announced in February 2025, the Group also aims to contribute to the lower carbon and decarbonization of the marine transportation industry through the social implementation of e-methane and promoting its use as a marine fuel replacing LNG in future.