MOL Opts to Equip Second Bulk Carrier with Hard Sail
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on Wednesday said it intends to equip a second bulk carrier with the Wind Challenger hard sail system, which harnesses the power of wind to propel the vessel, improving efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and emissions.MOL Group company MOL Drybulk Ltd. will operate the vessel, which will transport wood pellets for sustainable wood bioenergy producer Enviva Inc. and has signed a construction contract for the new ship with Oshima Shipbuilding Co.âŚ
Interview: Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK
While the maritime industry faces a long âto doâ list for the coming three decades, Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK, sees decarbonization as the definitive trend that will most dramatically impact the design, construction and life-cycle operation of ships.âIt is decarbonization.âHiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK, is definitive when asked to discuss the biggest challenge facing shipowners today. âDecarbonization will change the structure of seaborne trade, shipsâ specification and design, shipsâ operation, and the economic mechanism of maritime transportation.
Japanese Project Tests Ship-based CO2 Capture System
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (âKâ Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale demonstration plant of the âMarine-based CO2 Capture Systemâ, in order to verify the equipmentâs use. The equipment has now been installed on board the Corona Utility, a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by âKâ Line, at MHIâs Honmoku Plant at the Yokohama DockyardâŚ
"K" Line Delivers Coal Carrier âTohoku Maruâ
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., (âKâ Line) has delivered the Tohoku Maru, a 91,000 DWT-type special coal carrier at Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.Tohoku Maru is same type as âKâ Lineâs specialized fleet for transport of thermal coal known as the âCorona-seriesâ. The âCorona-seriesâ consists of epoch-making coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, which are said to be the most suitable type to enter ports of Japanese Thermal Power Stations to discharge cargo.Tohoku Maru is equipped with Advanced Flipper Fins and Rudder Fin which promote her propeller efficiency.
Naming Ceremony for Cameron Project LNG Carrier
On April 19, a naming ceremony was held at the Nagasaki Shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier owned by a joint company established by NYK, the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Toho LNG Shipping Co. Ltd. (Toho LNG Shipping),* and Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. (Tohoku Electric Power).At the ceremony, the ship was named âDiamond Gas Sakuraâ by Yoshiro Tominari, representative director and president of Toho Gas Co. Ltd., and Toshinori AbeâŚ
NYK to Jointly Own LNG Carrier for Cameron Project
NYK, the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Toho LNG Shipping Co., Ltd. (Toho LNG Shipping), and Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. (Tohoku Electric Power) will participate in the joint ownership of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel for the Cameron LNG project in the U.S. through the jointly owned company Diamond LNG Shipping 3 Pte. Ltd. (DLS-3). In December 2015, MC reached agreement on a shipbuilding contract with MI LNG Company Limited in addition to a heads of agreement for time-charter party with Diamond Gas International Pte. Ltd.Then in May 2016, MC established a vessel owning company, DLS-3, on the assumption of LNG vessel co-ownership with NYK, Toho LNG Shipping, and Tohoku Electric Power.
New Japanese Coal Carrier Enters Service
A new coal carrier Noshiro Maru was delivered on September 30 at Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Saikai city, Nagasaki prefecture. A delivery and naming ceremony was held at the shipyard on the same day and attended by Makoto Kaiwa, chairman of Tohoku Electric Power; his wife; and NYK Chairman Yasumi Kudo. The new ship is the third to take the name Noshiro Maru, the first of which began transporting coal for Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. 23 years ago. The vessel is named after Noshiro terminal in Akita prefecture, the destination for coal that is transported mainly from Australia and Indonesia to generate electricity for the Tohoku district of Japan.
MOL Coal Carrier to Serve Tohoku Electric Power
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) today announced that the coal carrier Soma Maru, which will serve Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., was delivered at Mizushima Shipyard of Sanoyas Shipbuilding Corporation on July 17, 2014. The vessel, which was jointly developed by Sanoyas Shipyard and MOL, is a state-of-the-art coal carrier with its wide-beam/shallow-draft shape and various safety and energy-saving specifications. It is a sister vessel to the Akatsuki, which was delivered in February of this year.
Bulk Ship Accesses Japan Earthquake-Damaged Port
NYK bulk coal carrier resumes direct shipments to earthquake-damaged port of Haramach. The 90,000 dwt NYK-operated bulk carrier âHaramachimaruâ filled with coal has arrived at a dedicated port for a thermal power station operated by Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. This was the first arrival of a coal carrier at the berth since the Great East Japan Earthquake last year. The berth is located in the town of Haramachi, and wharf operations restarted as the power station became operational again. A total of 89,000 tons of coal from Newcastle, Australia, was unloaded from the vessel, Haramachimaru.