First Fuel Saving MALS "Air-Carpet" for Cruise Ships

An "Air-Carpet" of bubbles reduces friction during navigation.

The new Mitsubishi Air Lubricating System (MALS) with its "air-carpet" technology is to be installed on a cruise ship for the first time.

MALS, which has been shown to reduce CO2 emissions and cut fuel consumption by 7 percent, blows air out from the bottom of the vessel producing an "air-carpet" of small bubbles that cover the ship's underside, reducing friction between the hull and seawater during navigation.

AIDA Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & Plc, say they made the decision in order to reduce their fuel consumption and for environmental considerations.

Mitsubishi Heavy Instrustries Ltd (MHI) were given the order to build two German-owned AIDA cruise ships, with deliveries scheduled for the spring of 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Construction for two 125,000 gross tonnage (G/T) 3,250 passenger vessels, to be built at MHI's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, will be the largest ever ships constructed for AIDA Cruises.

In 2010, MHI demonstrated the first commercial application of the MALS on two module carriers during extensive sea trials, producing a 13% reduction in fuel consumption.

MHI has since completed a new concept design for launching MALS on bulk carriers that will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 25%, compared to conventional vessels.

The success of the concept design was "thanks to application of the MALS complemented with high-efficiency hull form and improved propulsion system."

The Tokyo-based firm will provide its conceptual design of this "energy-saving bulk carrier" to a major U.S. grain handler, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), who has ordered three grain carriers.