Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has developed a new bulk carrier vessel that offers reductions in CO2 emissions by about 25% compared to conventional bulk carriers.
The bulk carrier design incorporates Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS) that reduces frictional resistance between the vessel hull and seawater using air bubbles produced by blowers at the vessel bottom.
As the first commercial application of the new design, MHI will provide the conceptual design and green technologies to three grain carriers that are to be built for the US-based Archer Daniels Midland Company.
The ships will be built by Oshima Shipbuilding in Nagasaki, Japan.
The three grain carriers will also feature a newly shaped bow that will reduce wave-making resistances while the ship adopts a system that converts the main engine power into propulsion power by positioning fins forward of the propellers and placing particular grooves in the propeller boss cap.
The three 95,000dwt vessels will have a length of 237m, width of 40m and draught of 12.5m.
