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NYK Line and Tokyo LNG Tanker Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd., held a naming ceremony this week for a jointly owned LNG carrier being built at Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation's Sakaide Shipyard.

The energy-saving vessel, named Energy Horizon [pictured] at the ceremony, is the first in the world to be equipped with a reheat turbine plant, which is said to reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 percent over conventional steam turbine vessels.

A reheat turbine plant is a highly efficient turbine plant that makes use of a reheat cycle to maintain the reliability of a conventional turbine plant. Compared to a conventional turbine, plant efficiency is said to increase by about 15 percent. The reheat cycle transfers steam from the steam turbine back to the boiler and reheats it. The generated high-temperature steam is then sent back to the turbine.

The joint ownership of Energy Horizon is the second between Tokyo LNG Tanker, which owns 10 percent of the vessel, and NYK, which owns the remaining 90 percent. After construction is completed, the ship will be chartered for 20 years and be used for shipments of LNG to Japan from various countries, including Australia.

The vessel is a moss-type LNG carrier, the largest type, and has a tank capacity of 177,000 m3 (cargo capacity: 175,000 m3). The word "horizon" was used in the vessel's name to reflect the future potential of LNG as an energy resource.

"NYK will continue to make every effort to provide stable, environment-friendly LNG transportation," the company said in a statement.