Japanese shipping company Asahi Tanker plans to commission its first battery-powered coastal oil tanker for the Tokyo Bay area after its construction finished on 30 March.

Asahi Tanker will receive the 1,277m³ coastal oil tanker Asahi equipped with two lithium-ion batteries with total capacity of 3,480kWh from domestic shipbuilder Koa Industry. The vessel will be used as a bunker vessel to supply fuel oil. It expects to have a second battery-powered electric vessel by March 2023.

Japan's shipping industry is aiming to achieve decarbonisation in response to the country's 2050 carbon neutrality goal. Asahi Tanker and its partners have formed the joint venture e5 Lab to develop electric vessels, which designed Asahi's two battery-powered vessels. Domestic utility Kansai Electric Power also targets to commission a battery-powered coastal vessel in May 2023 to carry biomass fuel for its power plant.