Vessel hull's friction drag is the greater part of resistance in the sea water. Reducing the friction drag is a very effective way to reduce CO2 emissions during vessel operation. MOL has taken a proactive stance in developing and adopting a low-friction ship bottom paint as part of its environmental initiatives.
Car carrier Neptune Ace (capacity: 6,400 units of standard passenger cars) built by Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and completed on October 27, 2010
LF-Sea, developed by Nippon Paint Marine Coatings, uses a component called hydrogel, which is a naturally derived material. The hydrogel allows water to fill in small indentations on the hull to minimize friction drag. LF-Sea can realize about 4% reduction in fuel consumption compared to an identical vessel using conventional bottom paint. Reducing the consumption of heavy fuel oil by 4% ensures a decrease in CO2 emissions at the same rate.
MOL continues joint research and development on an ultra-high fuel efficient ship bottom paint with the aim of further CO2 reduction with Nippon Paint Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Osaka; President: Kenji Sakai) and Nippon Paint Marine Coatings Co., Ltd. The companies will strive to further improve LF-Sea paint with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 8% to 12% compared to conventional anti-fouling paints. MOL believes the performance assessment on the new building PCTC will serve as a benchmark for the development on an ultra-high efficient ship bottom paint.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd , a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, was founded in 1964. The company's main area of operations is international shipping.