World’s First Vessel with Innovative Air-Lubrication System Delivered

On July 27, NYK took delivery of a new coal carrier that has been equipped with the world’s first innovative air-lubrication system. This vessel, named Soyo, was jointly developed with Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (Saikai, Nagasaki prefecture) and will feature a main engine scavenging air bypass that uses bubbles to reduce the frictional resistance between the ship’s bottom and the seawater.

Soyo is only the third vessel to be equipped with such a system, following the two module carriers Yamatai and Yamato, and will be the world’s first vessel for overseas transport to have an air-lubrication system permanently installed.

The module carriers Yamato and Yamatai both have a shallow-draft hull that was deemed potentially suitable for an air-lubrication system, and the system was subsequently installed on these vessels was to verify the system’s effectiveness. The purpose of this latest installation is to verify the effectiveness of the system on a coal carrier having a conventional deep-draft hull so that the range of applicable merchant vessels benefiting from this system can be expanded.

This newly installed air-lubrication system reduces CO2 emissions by taking some of the main engine scavenging air (combustion air) from the main engine’s turbocharger and leading it to the vessel’s bottom to reduce the frictional resistance between the vessel’s bottom and the seawater. A system featuring this scavenging air bypass is expected to effectively reduce CO2 even on large vessels having deep drafts.

During the sea trials, the safety and performance of the system was verified, confirming about a 4 percent reduction in CO2 during deep drafts and about an 8 percent reduction in shallow drafts. After the vessel is delivered, tests will be conducted during marine transport to confirm the reduction and assess the performance of the system.

In cooperation with the National Maritime Research Institute, the system was jointly developed by NYK, Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., and the Monohakobi Technology Institute, an NYK Group company. This project has been subsidized through Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Support for Technology Development from Marine Vessels for Curtailing CO2” project, among others.*

Soyo Particulars:

Length Overall: 235.00 meters

Breadth: 43.00 meters

Designed Draft: 12.981 meters

Gross Tonnage: 50,872 tons

Deadweight Tonnage: 91,443 tons

Builder: Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd

*This project has been supported by the below organizations.

• Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, “Support for Technology Development from Marine Vessels for Curtailing CO2” project
• Shipbuilding Research Centre of Japan, joint study theme
• Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, joint study theme
• The Nippon Foundation

[mappress]

Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, August 10, 2012; Image: nyk