Soyo

As Marine-Link reports, 'Soyo', an NYK-owned coal carrier, has been selected as the 2012 "Ship of the Year" by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers (JASNAOE). JASNAOE’s “Ship of the Year” award has been presented every year since 1990 to a Japan-built vessel that the society considers to be the most technically advanced, well-designed, and socially conscious. Soyo was honored for its innovative air-lubrication system and its proven impact on CO2 reduction. This new air-lubrication system reduces CO2 emissions by taking some of the main engine scavenging air (combustion air) from the main engine’s turbocharger and leading it to the vessel’s bottom to reduce the frictional resistance between the vessel’s bottom and the seawater. A system featuring this scavenging air bypass is expected to be effective in reducing CO2 on large vessels having deep drafts. The NYK Group is currently looking to equip car carriers with this eco-friendly system.

apanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) took delivery of a new coal carrier last month. The vessel has been equipped with what the company claims is the world’s first "innovative air-lubrication system." The vessel, named 'Soyo', was jointly developed with Oshima Shipbuilding and features a "main engine scavenging air bypass" that uses bubbles to reduce the frictional resistance between the ship’s bottom and the seawater. NYK believes the 'Soyo' is only the third vessel to be equipped with such a system, following the two module carriers 'Yamatai' and 'Yamato'. The company further claims the 'Soyo' will be the world’s first vessel for overseas transport to have an air-lubrication system permanently installed. http://www.bairdmaritime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13283:new-coal-carrier-sails-with-innovative-air-system&catid=67&Itemid=58