Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), MOL Tech-Trade, Ltd. (MOLTT), Tokai University (President: Kiyoshi Yamada) and Akishima Laboratories (Mitsui Zosen) Inc. announced an
agreement to start a joint study related to wind powered propulsion of vessels by application
of aerospace engineering technologies.
MOL, MOLTT, and Akishima Laboratories (Mitsui Zosen) have moved ahead with the
adoption of their jointly developed “ISHIN ship design” (Note 1), which reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using wind as propulsive force. Now they will implement more
advanced joint development aimed at optimizing the hull shape for wind-powered vessels,
which adopts aerospace engineering technologies in ISHIN ship design, in collaboration with
Dr. Kota Fukuda, Associate Professor at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
Tokai University, Japan.
Adoption of “ISHIN ship design” on the vessel can reduce GHG emissions by about 5% on
the Asia-North America route, but targets a reduction of more than 12% by introducing
aerodynamic technologies accumulated in the aerospace engineering field.
The MOL Group has set a target of achieving group-wide net zero emissions by 2050 in “MOL
Group Environmental Vision 2.1.” It will proactively move ahead with technological
development and social implementation to reduce GHG emissions from its vessels with
concerted effort throughout the group, and meet customer and social needs to reduce the
environmental impact of its business activities, thus contributing to the realization of a decarbonized society.
Dr. Kota Fukuda and his group have carried out fluid dynamics research on examination of
flow phenomena around rockets and aircrafts, development of high-performance solar cars
and solar unmanned airplanes, and further application of their own simulation technology to
the medical field. Through this joint study, they will expand their research fields to ship
engineering and ocean-going vessel development.
The study was selected for the Japan Ship Machinery and Equipment Association (JSMEA)
“2022 new product development subsidy program”, and efforts are underway to
commercialize the R&D results for the benefit of society with the subsidy from “The Nippon
Foundation”.
