Technology Advances K-Line

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K Line

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd.  or K-Line  as it more widely known is one Japan’s largest shipping companies. A look at the group fleet page shows an impressive 73 containerships, 359 vessels in the bulk shipping division, 51 gas carriers and oil tankers and 67 other vessels, totaling some 41 million DWT.

Drive Green

At the recent SIBCON International Bunkering Conference in Singapore Mr Shingo Kameyama K-Line’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Manager presented “The Drive Green Project”, which will see delivery of an Environmental Flagship in Q1 2016.

The Drive Green vessel is a 200m, 7600 unit pure car and truck carrier, built by Japan Marine United Corporation  and powered by a KHI-MAN B&W  7S60ME-C slow speed main engine.

Integrated environmental technologies

What makes the vessel so interesting is the environmental technology that has been incorporated into its design. The main engine is fitted with an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and will burn water fuel emulsion in order to achieve Tier III levels of NOx compliance without a prohibitive fuel penalty. It is also possible to cut out a turbocharger when running at lower loads, in order to significantly reduce specific fuel consumption.

The use of water fuel emulsion is extended to the auxiliary boilers as part of a range of energy saving measures which includes solar panels and LED lighting, waste heat recovery systems, inverter controlled fans and pumps, novel hull design features and an increased car carrying capacity.

First Japanese built scrubber

The first Japanese built scrubbing system from MHI  and  MKK  will be used to control SOx emissions. The system is a hybrid type so can be operated either in open loop mode using seawater or closed loop mode using freshwater with caustic soda addition.

Certification will be by ClassNK  who will also support the installation and operation of the system, including verification of the emissions reduction performance.

Mr Kameyama explained that before installing a scrubbing system the affects on vessel stability and cargo carrying capacity need to be considered and that the size and weight of the complete system together with caustic soda storage need to be taken into account. The differential in price between residual fuel and distillate, the capital cost of a scrubbing system and fuel consumed in an ECA were cited as the major factors when deciding whether to install.

 

K Line Drive GreenCourtesy K-Line

 K-Line  recognises scrubbing as an important method of SOx compliance and say they need to accumulate operating know-how immediately. The presentation was concluded with a graph showing a near USD50M saving over a 20 year period with a scrubber system installed on the vessel.