Marine Electronics
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Mitsui O.S.K Lines Ltd (MOL) has released the technical details of its next-generation iron-ore carrier, the ISHIN-III. The new carrier will make use of the latest renewable energy, ship design, materials and navigation technology to vastly improve fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. The ISHIN-III will be based on similar but improved technologies used on Mitsui’s Brasil Maru. That ship, delivered in December 2007, was named the Ship of the Year 2007 by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers for its “energy-saving, safety, and high technical performance.”
Among the energy saving te
chnologies planned for the ISHIN-III is an advanced waste-heat energy recovery system. That system will use the exhaust gas from the carrier’s main engine to generate electricity for the propulsion of the ship. For further reduction of CO2 emissions, the ISHIN-III will also use a turbocharger and an electronically controlled main engine.
A new energy-oriented navigation system will also be employed to find the most fuel-efficient ocean travel route. For that task, the navigation system will not only take into account factors such as the weather and ocean currents, but also the design characteristics and load of the boat. With that information, the navigation system will tailor its route search to match the INSHIN-III to the transportation route.
A new fuel additive, called TAICRUSH HD, developed by MOL Technology Research Center and Taihokohzai Co., Ltd will also be used to help reduce CO2 emissions. For the reduction of friction drag, the ISHIN-III will have its bottom painted with an ultra-low friction coating. The coating, with micro-patterned indentations, has been designed to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.
Other new features will enhance propeller efficiency. For that task, Propeller Boss Cap Fins will be attached to the ISHIN-III. Finally, the boat will include solar panels on all the aft decks. The solar cells will be used to supplement the propulsion system through a bank of high-capacity rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
Mitsui reported that the optimization of the engine system alone would account for a 10 percent savings in CO2 emissions while the optimization of friction drag will bring down the CO2 levels another 10 percent. Additionally, the voyage support system will reduce the carrier’s emissions by 5 percent. Add to that a 5 percent reduction in CO2 from propulsion efficiency improvements, a 2 percent reduction from the optimization of the hull design, 1.5 percent from fuel additives, and 0.1 percent from renewable energy and you have a new carrier with 33.6 percent less CO2 emissions.
But that’s not all. The company indicated that total CO2 emissions will be reduced another 20 percent to over 50 percent through the use of wind generation technology. Presently, Mitsui is working on the “Wind Challenger Project.” Its partners on that project include Tokyo University and, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, a materials producer.
Mitsui, in line with its renewable energy focus, has also recently announced the opening of an energy efficient technology research center in Micom City, Japan. The new facility, which includes two foot reefer containers and a test engine room, has a natural lighting system and makes ice at night to cool the building in the day, reducing total peak time electrical use.
