Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on Wednesday (Oct14) announced that naming and delivery ceremonies for the coastal dry bulker Kaiei Maru were held at Murakami Hide Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Eiji Murakami). Among those on hand for the event were Takeshi Tanimura, president of Kaita Biomass Power Co., Ltd.
The Kaiei Maru will be operated by MOL Group company MOL Coastal Shipping, Ltd. and serve Kaita Biomass Power.
The Japanese name "Kaiei" is the combination of the letter "kai" derived from the city name Kaita-cho" and the letter "ei," which expresses wishes for prosperity. The vessel's name reflects its role in contributing to the future growth of the power plant and Kaita-cho.
The Kaiei Maru is a coastal dry bulker equipped with a self-unloader (*1) and will serve in routine transport of mainly woody biomass fuels, which will be used for thermal plants, from relay terminals in Japan to the Kaita Power Plant.
Biomass is a plant-derived woody fuel, and is referred as a fuel that can realize the goal of becoming "carbon neutral;" in other words not increasing density of combusted carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, based on the idea that CO2 is absorbed by trees in the atmosphere.
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- LOA: 99.99m
- Breadth: 18.40m
- Draft: About 5.00m
- Gross tonnage: 2,137 tons
- Deadweight tonnage: About 3,800 tons
- Cargo hold capacity: About 4,300 m3
- Main engine: Diesel internal combustion engine
- Speed: 11.8 knots
- Loading capacity: 1,000m3/h
- Shipbuilder: Murakami Hide Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
- Ship operator: MOL Coastal Shipping, Ltd.
(*1) - Self-unloader: Mechanical self-unloading equipment that increases the efficiency of bulk cargo handling, allowing automated operations and faster unloading. It also increases operational efficiency for the plants receiving the fuel materials.