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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed the conceptual design of the MALS-14000CS, a New Panamax size 14,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) environmentally-friendly container vessel.

The MALS-14000CS adopts the company's proprietary Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS), which reduces frictional resistance between the vessel hull and seawater using air bubbles at the vessel bottom produced by air.

Incorporating the MALS, along with an advanced high-efficiency ship hull design and propulsion system, MHI says the vessel will be capable of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), by 35 percent compared with container carriers of conventional design.

MHI has already installed the MALS on the "YAMATAI," a module carrier operated by NYK-Hinode Line, Ltd., a subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line), and is verifying its CO2 reduction efficiency, which is expected to be approximately 10 percent.

According to MHI, the MALS-14000CS is the world's first application of an air-blow type ALS system on an ocean-going vessel for permanent use.

The MALS-14000CS is designed to realize a 10 percent reduction in CO2 emissions through the MALS. The ship design, featuring a new high-performance hull form, places the bridge relatively forward, exhaust funnels at the stern, and additional container space under the accommodation quarter.

The new ship design, providing increased container carrying capacity, coupled with a two-engine, two-shaft propulsion system, enables a reduction in CO2 emissions by 24 percent. Combined with another 5 percent reduction enabled by the electronically controlled diesel engine and waste heat recovery system, MHI says the MALS-14000CS achieves an overall 35 percent cut in CO2 emissions.

The MALS-14000CS is designed to be further environmentally-friendly through installation of a SOx scrubber to remove sulphur oxide (SOx) from flue gas and a ballast water treatment system.

"Presently, as part of measures to prevent global warming, CO2 emissions reduction is strongly sought in the area of international maritime transportation, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been preparing the framework of a CO2 emissions convention. Against this backdrop, the MALS-14000CS, by integrating marine-use CO2 reduction technologies that are both efficient and commercially viable, is expected to contribute significantly to global warming prevention," MHI said in a statement.

"Going forward MHI will continue to accord priority to the development of vessels addressing CO2 reduction needs by focusing on development of its "Eco-ship" and expansion of applications to include other ship types, leveraging its strength in handling ships and major marine-use machinery as well as the company's leading-edge technologies in energy-saving and environment-related areas," MHI added.