Japan's MOL joins Blue Visby consortium
Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has joined the Blue Visby consortium, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vessels by developing a digital technology-based platform to optimise vessels' arrival times, it said on October 4.
Led by Helsinki-based Napa, a provider of software solutions related to ship design and UK’s Stephenson Harwood, an international law firm, the consortium comprises over 15 organisations from industry, government, academia, and NGOs, NPOs, including Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, Lloyd's, Marubeni Corporation.
The technology platform, Blue Visby Solution, aims to optimise and distribute arrival times of groups of vessels heading for the same destination port. The optimal target arrival time is provided for each vessel while maintaining the scheduled arrival order, by analysing the performance of each vessel, conditions such as congestion at the destination, and weather conditions.
The consortium also aims to reduce CO2 emissions by recommending the optimum sailing speed of each vessel for maximum efficiency, MOL said.
“Upon verification, enforced in the prove of concept process, the consortium expects an average 15% GHG emissions reduction. Hence such an innovative approach has great potential to contribute to MOL's efforts to reduce GHG emissions and boost operational efficiency,” the company said.