Business

Japan: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines LNG-fuelled tugboat Ishin uses Carbon Neutral LNG

Carbon Neutral LNG for the tugboat Ishin was supplied using the truck to ship method at a wharf located at Sakai Senboku Port, Osaka on 1 September.

Published

5 years ago

September 3, 2021

Admin

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. and subsidiary Nihon Tug-Boat Co., Ltd. on Thursday (2 September) said the Nihon Tug-Boat-operated liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tugboat Ishin was supplied for the first time with Carbon Neutral LNG (CNLNG) fuel by Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. and Daigas Energy Co., Ltd.

The operation on (1 September) marks the first use of CNLNG as vessel fuel in Japan, says the companies.

CNLNG for the Ishin was supplied to the tugboat using the truck to ship method at the wharf in Sakai Senboku Port, Osaka.

The “carbon neutral” designation means that all greenhouse gases (GHGs), generated throughout the life cycle of natural gas extraction, liquefaction, transport, production, and combustion processes, were offset by credit and CNLNG is expected to gain wide adoption in the future for general use as well as vessel fuel.

The tugboat Ishin is owned by MOL, and has been operated by Nihon Tug-Boat since February 2019. It has been supplied with LNG fuel from Daigas Energy since the beginning of the operation. On this occasion, Daigas Energy and Nihon Tug-Boat signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for supply of CNLNG over several years.

Moves to tighten regulations on exhaust emissions from merchant vessels have accelerated in recent years. In April 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels, and to phase out GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible, in this century.

The goal of the MOL Group is to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050, as set out in the “MOL Group Environmental (announced in June 2021). The group set the “Adoption of Clean Alternative Fuels” strategy to realize the goal, and plans to introduce about 90 LNG-fueled vessels by 2030. The Ishin is MOL’s first LNG-fueled vessel, and the group continues its proactive push on new initiatives to reduce GHG emissions. it states.

MOL aims to promote the wider use of LNG-fueled vessels while working to adopt new alternative fuels such as ammonia and conducting research and development on the use of synthetic methane, which is expected to contribute to further GHG reduction. It not only strives to reduce GHG emissions generated from its own operations, but also to meet the needs of customers and society to reduce the environmental impact of its activities.

Photo credit: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
Published: 3 September, 2021

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

21 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

21 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

21 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026