NYK signed contracts with Hanjin Heavy Industries &  Construction Co. Ltd. in South Korea to build the world's first so-called  bunkering vessel that will be designed to provide LNGto ships fueled by the super-cooled gas.

Bunkering is the ship-to-ship transfer of fuel.

NYK said the LNG fueling vessel will be delivered from its South Korean  shipyard to a port in Belgium by 2015. It will be designed specifically to  service vessels operating in the North and Baltic Seas.

NYK said the fueling vessel is fit for purpose in a European community  working to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The measure is part of a joint initiative between NYK, Mitsubishi Corp. and  French energy company GDF  Suez.

"GDF Suez regards LNG as the future of bunkering," said Jean-Marie Dauger,  the company's vice president in charge of LNG business, said in a statement.

The LNG used for the bunkering vessel will be sourced from the French  company's portfolio. GDF Suez is the third-largest LNG supplier in the  world.