Japan's LNG bunkering vessel Kaguya completed its 200th ship-to-ship LNG refuelling operation in Mikawa Bay on 30 September 2026, the operator K Line confirmed. The milestone comes nearly six years after the vessel entered service in October 2020 as Japan's first dedicated LNG bunkering ship.

Kaguya supplies LNG directly to LNG-fuelled vessels at quays, piers and anchorage across the Chubu region. The customer base includes K Line's LNG-powered car carrier Century Highway Green, which runs on Far East–Middle East and intra-Asia vehicle trade lanes where tightening emission rules have pushed owners toward cleaner fuels.

Who runs the Chubu LNG bunkering network?

K Line conducts the bunkering business through two joint ventures: Central LNG Shipping Japan Corporation and Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corporation. The partnership brings together K Line, JERA Global Energy Solutions, NYK Line and Toyota Tsusho Corporation. Together, the four shareholders have built an LNG marine-fuel supply network serving central Honshu's port cluster.

JERA's involvement brings utility-grade fuel logistics to a Japanese bunkering segment still maturing. NYK's stake gives the venture reach into one of the country's largest operator networks. Toyota Tsusho ties the supply chain to the automaker whose vehicle exports drive much of the region's deep-sea lift.

What emissions gains does LNG deliver over heavy fuel oil?

According to K Line's published data, LNG cuts sulphur oxide and particulate emissions to near-zero levels versus conventional heavy fuel oil. Nitrogen oxide emissions drop by up to 80%, and carbon dioxide output falls by approximately 30% per unit of energy. The figures exclude methane slip, a metric that international regulators increasingly scrutinise when measuring the full climate footprint of LNG propulsion.

What changes for shippers and operators?

For container lines and forwarders moving boxes through Chubu, the network's maturity changes nothing about rates, transit windows or rolling bookings. For owners of LNG-capable tonnage, however, Kaguya's track record removes one operational barrier in a market where Japanese ports have historically lagged Singapore and Rotterdam on alternative-fuel availability.

The build-out also matters for Japanese car carriers, which face tighter carbon intensity rules on European and U.S. outbound trades. Century Highway Green and similar LNG-fuelled PCTCs need bunker certainty on rotation patterns that call at Nagoya, Yokkaichi and nearby terminals.

What comes next for Kaguya and Japan's LNG bunkering build-out?

K Line said it will continue expanding safe and reliable LNG bunkering services while supporting efforts to reduce shipping emissions. With Mikawa Bay now a proven STS hub and Chubu demand anchored by automotive exports, the next commercial question is whether Japanese ports beyond central Honshu can replicate the Kaguya template before methanol and ammonia bunkering volumes begin drawing off the same customers.