First Order Received for the Newly Developed 164,700 m³ LNG Carrier

Tokyo, June 29, 2012—Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that it has concluded a shipbuilding contract with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines for one 164,700 m³ LNG carrier, to be used for transporting LNG for The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. This ship will be built at Kawasaki's Sakaide Shipyard and be commissioned for service in 2016.

The latest order is for a newly developed MOSS-type LNG carrier with a cargo tank capacity of 164,700 m³. The ship is the largest of its type that can pass through the new Panama Canal, which is scheduled to open in 2014, while maintaining the hull size of a 147,000 m³ LNG carrier compatible with the world's major LNG terminals. With its highly versatile design, the ship will be an ideal solution for ship operators with a need to diversify their LNG trade.

The new LNG carrier comes equipped with a cargo tank that has approximately 18,000 m³ more volume than the existing 147,000 m³ variant. In addition, the ship features a fully optimized hull structure for reduced weight, as well as a hull shape that is optimized below the waterline for the maximum propulsion performance. Furthermore, the main engine comes equipped with the Kawasaki Advanced Reheat Turbine Plant*, which is proven to improve transport efficiency by over 25%.

LNG Carriers are generally fueled by natural gas that evaporates during transport (boil-off gas). While recent technological advances have reduced the amount of fuel consumption, they gave rise to a new problem of excess boil-off gas that is left behind without being consumed as fuel.

Kawasaki's LNG Carriers feature a proprietary thermal insulation system—Kawasaki Panel System—with an excellent track record spanning over 30 years. The panel system has been further improved for the new ship to achieve the world's lowest boil-off rate at 0.08% per day. With this improvement, the ship is able to minimize unused boil-off gas for outstanding environmental performance and economic efficiency.

The ship's specifications are outlined below.

Length: Approx. 293 m
Width: 48.9 m
Tank capacity: 164,700 m³
Speed: 19.5 knot
Boil-off rate: 0.08% per day

Kawasaki will actively pursue its shipbuilding operations in light of the expected rise in demand for LNG and other clean energy fuels.

*Kawasaki Advanced Reheat Turbine Plant<br/>This steam turbine plant achieves a dramatic increase in thermal efficiency by utilizing a reheat cycle whereby steam that was used to drive high-pressure turbine is returned to the boiler to be reheated, and then sent back to the medium-pressure turbine. The LNG carrier equipped with the first Kawasaki Advanced Reheat Turbine Plant was commissioned in September 2011. The steam turbine plant powering the new LNG carrier has been further improved using data obtained through the sea trial and actual operation of the first plant.