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Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) will adopt the low-friction Seaflo Neo hull paint developed by Chugoku Marine Paint for its environmentally-friendly shipbuilding program. It will be used initially on two new car carriers.
MOL reports that an onboard test of the paint applied to a newbuilding vessel has confirmed improvements in fuel efficiency achieved by the new paint compared to conventional paints, which will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions from its vessels, according to MOL.
The company points out that friction between the hull and the water accounts for the majority of resistance as a vessel moves through the water. Reductions in resistance lead to reductions in CO2 emissions during vessel operation, so the use of the new low-friction paint is one of MOL’s environmental initiatives.
The two newbuildings adopting the new paint are a pair of car carriers, both of 6,400 standard passenger car unit capacity, built by Minaminippori Shipbuilding. The Brilliant Ace was completed on 30 March 2011, and the Eternal Ace on 25 July 2011. The adoption of this new paint is part of the MOL’s Sempaku Ishin next-generation vessel concept.
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Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) |
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| MOL’s Brilliant Ace, which has demonstrated the benefits of Seaflo Neo. |
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The main characteristic of Seaflo Neo is the smoothness of the paint film surface, the result of a newly developed low-viscosity hydrolysed polymer. The ultra-smooth finish is intended to minimise friction, improving fuel efficiency by 3% to 5% compared to an identical vessel with a conventional hull coating. Seaflo Neo is also claimed to be very low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a major source of air pollution.
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