Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Launches Japan's First Hydrogen-Fueled Tugboat

April 03, 2025

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(Tsuneishi Holdings Corporation/PR Times (Google Translation)) Increasing the power output of hydrogen-mixed combustion engines and making ship steel greener -- Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Head office: Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Yukio Okumura) launched Japan's first hydrogen-fueled tugboat at the Tsuneishi Factory on March 28th. The vessel is equipped with a high-output hydrogen co-fuel engine required for tugboats, and a large-capacity high-pressure hydrogen gas storage and supply system, and all of the steel plates in the hull are made from JFE Steel Corporation's green steel "JGreeX." By utilizing green steel and hydrogen fuel to reduce the environmental impact, the company will be able to supply cleaner ships and contribute to decarbonization.

Hydrogen fuel is a clean fuel that does not emit CO2 when burned, and is expected to contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality. The Tsuneishi Group is working on the development and construction of this ship as part of the Nippon Foundation's "Zero Emission Ship Project," which aims to develop ships with zero CO2 emissions.

When a large ship sails at a slow speed, the rudder becomes less effective and it becomes difficult to steer freely. Therefore, when safely and quickly departing from and arriving at berthing, tugboats complement the role of the rudder and propellers of the large ship. For this reason, tugboats are required to have excellent maneuverability and high engine power. The ship is equipped with two 12-cylinder hydrogen-mixed engines (4,400 horsepower class), and by mixing hydrogen and heavy oil A, it has achieved a reduction in CO2 emissions of about 60% compared to conventional tugboats that use only fossil fuels. In addition, by equipping the ship with facilities to store about 250 kg of high-pressure hydrogen gas, it is possible to utilize hydrogen fuel while maintaining the same operating performance as when using conventional fuel. In the unlikely event that a malfunction occurs in the hydrogen fuel system, it can navigate using only heavy oil A, ensuring the safety of the ship.

In addition, "JGreeX", which is used for all steel plates of the ship's hull, is a green steel material that significantly reduces CO2 emissions by allocating the CO2 emission reduction amount in the steel manufacturing process to any steel material. Using "JGreeX" for all steel plates will contribute to a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions caused by steel plates.

Tsuneishi Shipbuilding will continue to work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions using all possible approaches, not only developing and building ships that run on next-generation fuels, but also procuring green steel, and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.

Comment from Takanori Nishijima, Managing Executive Officer of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

"We have successfully launched our first hydrogen-fueled tugboat. We will utilize the know-how and design process we have cultivated in building hydrogen-fueled tugboats, which require high power, in the construction of further new fuel ships. Towards achieving carbon neutrality, we are leveraging group synergy to work on the development and construction of new fuel ships, such as methanol-fueled ships, LNG-fueled ships, and hydrogen-fueled ships. Going forward, we will continue to take a multifaceted approach to the development and construction of new fuel ships, and, together with the use of green steel, will contribute to the decarbonization of the maritime industry."

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■About the Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ship Project

A project by the Nippon Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation, that focuses on the development of zero-emission ships that run on hydrogen and supports related technological development.

In order to achieve carbon neutrality in the domestic shipping sector by 2050, we will be the first in the world to develop and conduct demonstration experiments of hydrogen-powered ships (zero-emission ships).

Project site: https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/what/projects/zeroemission2050

■Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Tsuneishi Shipbuilding (1083 Tsuneishi, Numakuma-cho, Fukuyama-shi, Hiroshima) is the core company of the Tsuneishi Group, which is primarily engaged in shipbuilding and shipping, and is engaged in the construction and repair of ships. Based at the Tsuneishi Factory (head office) in Japan and overseas factories in the Philippines and China, we build bulk carriers, container carriers, tankers, and more.

Company website: https://www.tsuneishi.co.jp/

ESG website: https://www.tsuneishi.co.jp/esg/

Representative Director and President: Yukio Okumura

Business description: Ship construction and repair

Founded: July 1917

Capital: 100 million yen

Employees: 901 (as of January 1, 2025) Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Group: approx. 20,000

Business location: Tsuneishi Factory (Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture)

Shipbuilding related companies:

TSUNEISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES (CEBU), Inc. (Cebu, Philippines)

http://www.thici.com/

Tsuneishi Group (Zhoushan) Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Zhejiang Province, China)