Marine Commercial - News Release

Yanmar Co., Ltd. is collaborating in the development of a tugboat^*1 which uses LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as fuel with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL). The boat will be owned by MOL, manufactured by Kanagawa Dockyard Co., Ltd., have LNG fuel provided by Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., operated by Nihon Tug-Boat Co., Ltd., and is scheduled to be deployed in Osaka Bay in April 2019. Yanmar is getting involved by providing an extremely environmentally friendly dual fuel engine^*2 which uses LNG for fuel as the main means of propulsion for the boat.

In October of 2016, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) made a resolution to strengthen regulations on sulfur oxides (SOx) in standard marine areas, including Japan, beginning in the year 2020. Initiatives to promote LNG bunkering to provide the environmentally friendly LNG as a fuel for marine vessels have also begun to shift into full gear within Japan, led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. As a result, it is expected that marine vessel systems which use LNG as fuel will become increasingly more common in the future.

Yanmar carried out development of gas engines for marine vessels for 3 years from 2011 with the support of The Nippon Foundation. The control technologies established during this development are well-suited for the dual fueled engines that will be used for the boat in this project. Yanmar is increasing its efforts to deliver sustainable prosperity for all with its Brand Statement, "A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE" by collaborating on the development of environmentally friendly, clean ship systems.

• ※1Tugboat: Vessel used to provide assistance when moving larger vessels and water structures to and from wharfs and docks.
• ※2 Dual fuel engines, which run on either A heavy oil or LNG.