ONE installs container ship windshields to cut fuel consumption

Singapore-based Ocean Network Express (ONE) has installed bow windshields on two of its ultra large 20,000 TEU container ships.

PHOTO: A bow windshield installed a ONE-operated container ship. ONE

Bow windshields can cut a ship's fuel consumption by reducing wind resistance at the vessel's hull body. This can in turn lower the ship's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. ONE intends to use these bow windshields to cut down on CO2 emissions, but has not specified details on how much carbon dioxide savings they potentially have.

Japanese Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), which owns ONE together with K Line and NYK Line, invented the bow windshield and ran a demonstration of it on a 6,700 TEU-capacity container ship back in 2017.

The MOL Marvel had 2% lower CO2 emissions on average while sailing at a speed of 17 knots, compared to an identical ship sailing at a similar speed without the windshield.

In 2019, MOL said the windshields have potential to reduce the CO2 emissions of an ultra large container carrier by 2-4%.

By Nithin Chandran

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