Christening and Launch Ceremony of "FERRY KYOTO". Photo courtesy Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding held a christening and launch ceremony May 13, 2021 for the first of two large ferries being built for Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) and Meimon Taiyo Ferry Co., Ltd.
The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant at MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The handover is scheduled for December 2021 following completion of interior work and sea trial. The new vessel will replace the Ferry Kyoto II, in operation since 2002, and enter service from December 2021 on a regular route between Osaka and Shinmoji in Kitakyushu.