SEAGATE CORPORATION Holds Naming and Launching Ceremony for BISAN MARU, First Japanese Tugboat Featuring New Environmental Technologies

Vessel Equipped with Biofuel Blender and Ultrasonic Hull Anti-Fouling System

April 22, 2026

On April 22, 2026, a naming and launching ceremony was held for a newly built tugboat ordered by SEAGATE CORPORATION CO., LTD. (SEAGATE), a consolidated subsidiary of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("K" LINE) from KANAGAWA DOCKYARD CO., LTD. (Head office: Kobe City, Hyogo). The tugboat was named BISAN MARU (the Vessel). In the future, the Vessel will undergo interior work, and then it is scheduled to come into service at the Port of Mizushima in Okayama Prefecture in August 2026.

The Vessel is equipped with a conventional diesel engine propulsion system using marine fuel oil, but it is the first Japanese tugboat to be equipped with a biofuel blender and an ultrasonic hull anti-fouling system. Using both of these systems, the Vessel's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be less than those of conventional vessels.

The biofuel blender installed in the Vessel manufactured by CONHIRA CO., LTD. (Head office: Imabari City, Ehime) is capable of blending marine fuel oil and biofuel at the blending ratio of choice between 0% and 100%. This system paves the way for the stable production of fuel that includes biofuel at the desired blending ratio onboard the Vessel, even when the ship is in places where it is difficult for bunkering ships to supply blended biofuel. The ultrasonic hull anti-fouling system is manufactured by M-SAT.LLC (Head office: Koto-ku, Tokyo). It uses ultrasonic waves to hinder marine organisms' adhesion to the hull and mitigate the deterioration of fuel efficiency due to hull fouling. This system was developed for a hybrid EV tug*1 scheduled to be completed in 2027. To verify the system in an operational environment, it was first installed in the Vessel.


BISAN MARU naming and launching ceremony. Image by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

Under the Group's long-term environmental policy, "K" LINE Environmental Vision 2050: Blue Seas for the Future*2, the "K" LINE Group is advancing the research, development, and implementation of environmental technologies. Going forward, the Group will continue to work together to promote initiatives toward low-carbon and decarbonized operations.

*1 See "K" LINE's September 17, 2025 news release: SEAGATE CORPORATION Concludes Agreement on Construction of Electric Tugboat

*2 "K" LINE Environmental Vision 2050: Blue Seas for the Future is a set of long-term guidelines regarding the environment that was established in 2015 and revised in 2020. As part of our action plan to reduce GHG, we are engaged in a number of initiatives, for instance introducing zero-emission fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen fuels, and carbon-neutral fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic fuels.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. press release