Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Holds Christening Ceremony for Diamond Gas Orchid, Next-Generation LNG Carrier
-- First "Sayaringo STaGE" Vessel, for Cameron LNG Project in the U.S. --

Tokyo, April 18, 2018 - Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Yokohama, today held the christening ceremony for a next-generation LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier under construction for a joint venture of Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). The ship, named "Diamond Gas Orchid," is the first "Sayaringo STaGE" type vessel, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding's newest carrier that achieves significant improvements in both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance thanks to a more efficient hull structure and an innovative hybrid propulsion system. After completion in late June, the Diamond Gas Orchid will go into service transporting LNG for the Cameron LNG Project, a project in the U.S. state of Louisiana in which Mitsubishi Corporation and NYK Line are jointly participating.

The well-attended christening ceremony was held at the Main Plant of MHI's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. Hidenori Takaoka, Executive Vice President and CEO of Mitsubishi Corporation's Energy Business Group, proclaimed the formal christening, and his wife, Mrs. Takaoka, performed the ceremonial rope cutting.

The Diamond Gas Orchid features LOA (length overall) of 293.5m, width of 48.94m, depth of 27.0m, and draft of 11.05m. Deadweight capacity is approximately 73,800 tons, and the total holding capacity of the tanks is 165,000m³. Launching took place in March 2017. Construction was performed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Structure Co., Ltd., a Nagasaki-based MHI Group company.

The Sayaringo STaGE succeeds the "Sayaendo," a vessel highly acclaimed for its improved Moss-type spherical tanks that deliver a high level of reliability. The adoption of apple-shaped tanks in the new Sayaringo STaGE offering has enabled an increase in LNG carrying capacity without changing the ship's beam, while incorporation of a hybrid propulsion system has significantly boosted fuel efficiency compared to the Sayaendo.

STaGE, an acronym deriving from "Steam Turbine and Gas Engines," is a hybrid propulsion system combining a steam turbine and engines that can be fired by gas. Efficient use of the engines' waste heat in the steam turbine results in substantial improvement in plant efficiency, enabling high-efficiency navigation throughout a full range of speeds.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Structure will continue to deliver solutions that enable a stable energy supply and environmental benefits by constructing next-generation LNG carriers with superlative transport capacity, fuel efficiency and environmental performance.

the first vessel of the "Sayaringo STaGE" type "Diamond Gas Orchid"