TOKYO - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, President: Akimitsu Ashida) today announced the naming of its newly built LNG carrier. The vessel was named the Sun Arrows by Hiroshima Gas Co. President Hideki Fukayama and the rope was cut by his wife, Kayoko, in a ceremony held at the Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation's Sakaide Shipyard.


Maple LNG Transport Inc., a 50-50 joint venture of MOL and Hiroshima Gas, will own the
Sun Arrows. The ship will sail under a long-term charter with HG LNG Shipping Corporation
(a wholly owned subsidiary of Hiroshima Gas). The Sun Arrows will leave its maiden voyage to the loading port of Bintulu, Malaysia, at the beginning of November. It will transport LNG for Hiroshima Gas, from Malaysia, Sakhalin and other producing areas.
The vessel features the following technologies to ensure safe, reliable service in the ice bound sea around Sakhalin:

Changeable pitch propeller: Improves performance in ice bound waters by changing the propeller angle

Ice bound sea paint: Prevents ice damage to hull, and has high abrasion resistance

In addition, the Sun Arrows boasts LU3 equivalent performance, the highest level of ice resistance in the Russian Ship Class Association. This is the first such LNG carrier operated by a Japanese shipping company.

* LU3: The hull structure allows the ship to travel independently through areas with open ice-packs as thick as 70cm, without relying on an ice-breaker ship.

MOL's approach to LNG transport
MOL is the world leader in ocean transport of LNG. The company has a fleet of 59 LNG carriers, and will expand to 80 ships by 2010. MOL has three small-scale 20,000m³-class LNG carriers including the new Sun Arrows.