CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, together with China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd., has delivered the 210,000-tonne LNG dual-fuel bulk carrier Mount Asahi to Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping nearly four months ahead of the contracted delivery date.

The vessel was handed over on 10 July and represents the first of its type constructed by the shipyard for Eastern Pacific.

According to CSSC, the bulk carrier is equipped with an LNG dual-fuel main engine and a C-type LNG tank. The company claims carbon emissions can be reduced by approximately 20% when operating in gas mode, while sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions are described as close to zero. The ship is said to meet the requirements of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase 3.

Mount Asahi is also fitted with an automatic rudder and track control system (TCS), which CSSC says combines track planning and automatic tracking in a single system, with the aim of shortening voyage distances and reducing energy consumption.

In addition, the bulker is equipped with an open-loop scrubber, allowing it to operate on high-sulphur fuel oil with a sulphur content of up to 3.5%, giving the owner flexibility across different fuel types depending on operational requirements.

CSSC noted that Beihai Shipbuilding’s current order book — spanning firm orders and letters of intent — now covers vessels across a range of alternative fuel configurations, including LNG dual-fuel, ammonia dual-fuel, methanol dual-fuel, and ethanol/methanol tri-fuel.