MOL Takes Delivery of LNG-Ready Behemoth Box Ship

The LNG-ready MOL Triumph is said to be the world's largest container ship.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced the delivery of its newest vessel, the liquefied natural gas (LNG)-Ready 20,170 TEU MOL Triumph - said to be the world's largest container ship.

MOL Triumph, the first of a fleet of six newbuild 20,000 TEU-class vessels, was delivered from Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SHI) on March 27, 2017.

In anticipation of the global 0.50 percent cap on sulfur in marine fuels set to be implemented in 2020, the vessel has been designed with a retrofit option for conversion to LNG-propulsion.

"The MOL Group is honoured to unveil this new vessel, which is the largest container ship in the world. The vessel is equipped with various new sustainable technologies to provide more efficient fuel consumption and improved environmental performance," said Junichiro Ikeda, President and CEO of MOL.

The vessel is said to have been designed in line with MOL's eco-sailing initiative, equipped with various highly advanced energy-saving technologies including low friction underwater paint, high efficiency propeller and rudder, Savor Stator as a stream fin on the hull body, and an optimised fine hull form.

Together, MOL says the vessel's fuel-saving technologies can further reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per container moved by about 25-30 percent compared to 14,000 TEU-class container ships.

MOL notes that it will take the delivery of the second vessel in its 20,000 TEU-class newbuild series in May 2017.

In September, Ship & Bunker reported that MOL had unveiled an ambitious plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast bunker prices, along with other shipping market movements.