NYK Unveils a Fuel-Efficient Supertanker

Japanese shipping giant NYK Line has taken delivery of a very large crude carrier (VLCC) that promises to consume much less bunker fuel than the supertankers of yesteryear.

The company announced that it has taken delivery of the 310,000 dwt Tateshina, a crude tanker equipped with multiple energy-saving innovations. The vessel was built at Nantong COSCO KHI Engineering (NACK), a JV between state-owned COSCO Shipping and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

NYK said that by changing the shape of the ship’s bow, the resistance caused by the bow wave has been greatly reduced, and the propulsion performance has been improved. The ship is also equipped with energy-saving measures such as low-friction bottom paint, high-efficiency large-diameter propellers, and ladder fins that regulate the water flow at the stern and reduce energy loss.

As a result, energy efficiency in terms of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of transportation is expected to improve by approximately 23 per cent compared to previous generations of VLCCs. This makes Tateshina compliant with Phase 2 of the IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirements.

NYK has set a long-term target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas by 2050 across all of the groups’ oceangoing businesses, exceeding IMO targets.

In addition to Tateshina's efficiency features, the vessel has won the Cyber Resilience-Guideline (CybR-G) notation from ClassNK. This is the first cyber-notation for a vessel granted under NYK's "Guidelines for Designing Cyber Security Onboard Ships." 

“The NYK Group considers safety to be of utmost importance and will continue to take countermeasures against threats such as cyberattacks on ships to contribute to stable crude oil transportation to meet customers’ demands,” said the company in a statement.