Asia/Pacific News
New Crankshaft Promises 9% Fuel Savings
Japanese company Kobe Steel Ltd. (Kobe Steel) says a new kind of crankshaft can improve ships' fuel efficiency by 9 percent, the English-language Japanese paper Asahi Shimbun AJW reports.
The crankshafts are made with a newly developed process involving stamping heated iron in metal molds to make equipment that is light but strong, improving resistance to metal fatigue by 20 percent.
Kobe Steel, which is the world's largest producer of crankshafts with about 40 percent of the global market, said sea trials demonstrated the new process's ability to improve efficiency by creating a light crankshaft with a long radius that is more durable than previous versions.
The company said the product will help ship owners who are working to reduce their fuel costs and emissions by improving efficiency.
Carriers like Nordic American Tankers Limited [NYSE:NAT] (NAT) and Ultrabulk Shipping A/S (Ultrabulk) have cited new fuel-efficient equipment as an important part of their strategies to boost profits.
