Norwegian chemical tanker operator Odfjell has named and launched its latest vessel, the 40,000-dwt Bow Tanaka, at the Kitanihon shipyard in Japan. The ceremony took place on 29 July, with Arnhild Odfjell serving as godmother to the vessel.

The event was attended by Odfjell patriarch Dan Odfjell Sr., who used the occasion to reflect on the company's long association with Japan. Speaking at the ceremony, he recalled his first visit to the country in 1960, when he arrived in Yokohama as a seaman aboard a Wilhelm Wilhelmsen Line vessel before transferring to an Odfjell tanker.

"As a company, we have come a long way since then. Odfjell is now a large shipping company, and our specialty has become stainless-steel tankers, which today's christening ceremony indeed stands as a testament to. I am proud and thankful for our solid and good Japanese relationship," he said.

Odfjell's relationship with Kitanihon stretches back more than two decades. The yard delivered its first Odfjell vessel, Bow Architect, in the early 2000s and has since built several vessels for the fleet.

Energy-efficiency features

The Bow Tanaka is a 28-tank stainless-steel supersegregator equipped with both a Gate Rudder and foldable wind-assisted propulsion sails — technology that Odfjell notes is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. According to the company, data from the sister vessel Bow Erikson indicates an energy-efficiency improvement of up to 50% compared with the average tanker in the segment.

The name Bow Tanaka is drawn from Tanaka Shosuke, recorded as the first Japanese person to cross the Pacific to the Americas, in 1610.