New Type of Marine Gas Oil Mono-fueled Motor Vessel Completed

MOL Drybulk, Ltd. (President: Kazuhiko Kikuchi; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter referred to as “the company”) has completed the construction of a new type of vessel equipped with Marine Gas Oil (MGO) Mono-fueled Engine today, December 9th, and commenced its operation.

The MGO Mono-fueled Engine utilizes a Stratified Water Injection system developed independently by Japan Engine Corporation (President: Ken Kawashima; Headquarters: Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture; hereinafter referred to as “J-ENG”). By optimizing combustion through MGO Mono fuel, the engine achieves a reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions while also reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Regarding the estimated reduction in CO₂ emissions, which was expected to be approximately 6% lower than conventional main engines (according to the company’s calculations), no significant differences were observed during the sea trials compared to the calculated results. Furthermore, as MGO is used as fuel, the engine’s operational stability at low loads has improved compared to conventional main engines, allowing for further deceleration operations according to the operational schedule. This contributes to MOL Group’s commitment to addressing important environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution prevention. Additionally, the vessel has the following features:

● Achieving EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index*1) Phase 3

The vessel meets the requirements of EEDI Phase 3 in advance by reducing fuel consumption by approximately 5% compared to previous engines of the same class (based on J-ENG’s internal comparison)

● Simplified Operation

MGO has superior quality compared to Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and does not require heating for use. This simplifies the fuel system configuration and reduces the risk of fuel mixing troubles during bunkering and/or switching. Furthermore, the vessel eliminates the need for heavy oil heaters and equipment maintenance.

● Reduced Maintenance Burden

Stable fuel quality enables extended maintenance intervals for combustion chamber components. With a decrease in sludge-related contamination, a reduction in the frequency of fuel filter maintenance is also expected.

(*1) EEDI: Energy Efficiency Design Index
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions when transporting one ton of cargo for one mile. New ship designs are required to achieve a reduction in theoretical carbon dioxide emissions by a certain percentage compared to the average emissions from ships built between 1999 and 2008.

Reduction rates for each phase: Phase 1 = 7.5%, Phase 2 = 15%, Phase 3 = 22.5%

For further information, please contact:
MOL Drybulk Ltd.
ICT Communication Team　Mail: dbict@molgroup.com