[160711.EN.SEA] Hybrid Car Carrier Launched By MOL To Cut Emissions To Zero When Berthed

JAPANESE shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) says the exterior and basic design of a hybrid car carrier created to release zero emissions while berthed has been determined.

As a "project that develops systems to reduce CO2 emissions from ocean-going vessels," the vessel earned us a subsidy from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2009.

The vessel was launched at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe shipyard last month, a company statement said.

The vessel will be equipped with a hybrid electric power supply system that combines solar power panels for generation with lithium-ion batteries for power storage.

The system is the result of a cooperative study group of experts from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sanyo Electric Group, and MOL. With solar panels on every bit of flat, exposed upper deck space, this system generates some 160kW, more than 10 times as much as current systems on other ships, making it the most powerful system of its type in the world.

The lithium-ion batteries can store some 2.2MWh of electricity, and the power generated by the panels while the ship is under way is stored in the batteries and used to power the ship's systems while it is berthed. The system eliminates the need for diesel-powered generators, enabling the ship to achieve zero emissions at the pier.

Source : HKSG.