Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed the conceptual design of the “MALS-14000CS,”*1 a New Panamax*2 size 14,000 TEU*3 (twenty-foot equivalent unit) container vessel that will contribute to the prevention of global warming. The MALS-14000CS adopts the company’s proprietary Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS), which reduces frictional resistance between the vessel hull and seawater using air bubbles at the vessel bottom produced by air. Incorporating the MALS, along with today’s most advanced high-efficiency ship hull design and propulsion system, the vessel will be capable of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas (GHG), by 35% compared with container carriers of conventional design.
MHI has already installed the MALS on the “YAMATAI,” a module carrier operated by NYK-Hinode Line, Ltd., a subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line), and is verifying its CO2 reduction efficiency, expecting approximately 10% cut. This marked the world’s first application of an air-blow type ALS system on an ocean-going vessel for permanent use; the MALS-14000CS signifies the second application of MALS technology.
The MALS-14000CS is designed to realize a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions through the MALS. The ship design, featuring a new high-performance hull form, places the bridge relatively forward, exhaust funnels at the stern, and additional container space under the accommodation quarter. The new ship design, providing increased container carrying capacity, coupled with a two-engine, two-shaft propulsion system, enables a reduction in CO2 emissions by 24%. Combined with another 5% reduction enabled by the electronically controlled diesel engine and waste heat recovery system, the MALS-14000CS achieves an overall 35% cut in CO2 emissions*4. The MALS-14000CS is designed to be further environmentally friendly through installation of a SOx scrubber to remove sulfur oxide (SOx) from flue gas and a ballast water treatment system.
Presently, as part of measures to prevent global warming, CO2 emissions reduction is strongly sought in the area of international maritime transportation, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been preparing the framework of a CO2 emissions convention. Against this backdrop, the MALS-14000CS, by integrating marine-use CO2 reduction technologies that are both efficient and commercially viable, is expected to contribute significantly to global warming prevention.
Going forward MHI will continue to accord priority to the development of vessels addressing CO2 reduction needs by focusing on development of its “Eco-ship” and expansion of applications to include other ship types, leveraging its strength in handling ships and major marine-use machinery as well as the company’s leading-edge technologies in energy-saving and environment related areas.
Notes:
1.MALS-14000CS stands for Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System -14000TEU Container Ship.
2.New Panamax is the term for the size limit of ships that will be able to travel through the Panama Canal after its planned expansion is completed in 2014: 366.0 meters (m) in length overall (LOA), 48.8 m in width and 15.2 m in tropical freshwater (FTW) draft. Panamax parameters are 295.0 m in LOA, 32.2 m in width and 12.0 m in draft.
3.TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) is a unit of cargo capacity used to describe the capacity of container ships; it is based on the volume of the 20-foot-long containers typically used.
4.If the total CO2 emission without MALS and other systems is 1, total CO2 emission of the MALS-14000CS will be [1-0.1 (MALS)] x [1-0.24 (ship design, etc.)] x [1-0.05 (electronically controlled engine, waste heat recovery)] = 0.65, a 35% reduction.
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