EEDI certification for bulk carrier fitted with MALS
Bubbles under the vessel bottom reduce frictional resistance between the hull and the water (Image: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)
The Harvest Frost is the first of three new bulk carriers developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and completed by Oshima Shipbuilding Co, Ltd of Nagasaki, an MHI licensing partner. Ordered by the US company Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) in 2011, the 237m-long and 40m-wide 95,000-dwt vessels are designed to serve as grain carriers.
The incorporation of a wide spectrum of innovative technologies - including MHI's proprietary MALS, which reduces frictional resistance between the vessel’s hull and seawater using air bubbles produced at the vessel bottom - has enabled a 27% reduction in CO2 emissions, MHI said.
The vessel also features a new bow shape designed to reduce wave-making resistance. For propulsion, an innovative system is adopted that effectively converts the main engine power into propulsion power by positioning fins forward of the propellers and placing special grooves in the propeller boss cap.
The remaining two vessels will be delivered until mid-2015.
