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A JAPANESE consortium made up of coastal shipping company Imoto Lines and marine software company Marindows is launching a government-backed effort to develop a next-generation containership scheduled for completion in January 2027.
The plans call not only for the vessel to address decarbonization with the ability to operate emissions-free, but also to address the emerging challenges due to the lack of seafarers in Japan, reports The Maritime Executive of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Imoto reports the designs for the new vessel feature a hybrid operational capability centred on batteries. The vessel will be able to use containerized batteries that can be swapped out to extend its efficiency. They expect to power the vessel with three 20-foot battery containers with an assumed 2000kWh power capacity. It will employ a standardized and modularized universal plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The vessel will also be equipped to use shore power while on dock both to power its operations and to recharge. Using two 360kW engines, the vessel is expected to have a speed of 12.5 knots. Its maximum range in hybrid operations will be 2,700 miles while using just the three containerized batters it will have a range of 180 miles. It will also be designed for the future installation of low-environment impact technologies such as hydrogen fuel or the use of bio or synthetic fuel.
Plans call for the containership to have a capacity of 200 TEU. It is projected to be 499 gross tonnes with an overall length of 265 feet (81 meters) and a beam of forty-four feet (13.5 meters). Miura Shipbuilding in Saiki City will build the vessel.
The ship will be deployed on the route between Kobe and Hiroshima. It will also operate as a demonstration project supported by the Ministry of Environment s Carbon Neutral Technology Research and Development Program.
In addition to addressing the challenges of zero-emission operations, Imoto points to the challenges of a shortage of seafarers and skilled mariners to operate vessels. The government has highlighted in the past the anticipated challenges as the Japanese population ages.
Working with Marindows they plan to develop standardized operations that will be supported by a shore operations centre meaning the vessel will require fewer people and less skills and experience to operate. They report systems will be modularized and standardized for ease of operation.
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