Asia/Pacific News
Japanese Group Unveil Latest Bunker Saving Propellor Design
A trio of Japanese companies have unveiled a new propellor design that will to reduce bunker consumption - and CO2 emissions - by 1.2 percent when installed on two newly built containerships to be delivered in 2019.
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), MTI Co. Ltd., and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) say they developed the propeller by analyzing the conditions surrounding vessel propellers in actual operation.
"The propeller plays a major role in the propulsion of a ship, and computer simulations and test tanks are used to create an ideal shape, but the actual water flow around the propeller of an oceangoing vessel can be rather complex," the companies explained.
"The three companies involved in this project felt that a vessel’s environmental loads could be further reduced if they could accurately monitor the condition of an operational propeller on an oceangoing vessel and then design an optimal shape based on the results."
A report on the initiative was published in the February 2018 issue of the journal The Naval Architect.
