Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced that the naming and launching ceremony for the Japan’s first hybrid passenger ship, which utilizes hydrogen and biodiesel fuels, was held on September 13, and the ship was named HANARIA. The vessel was ordered by MOL Group company MOTENA-Sea, Ltd. (President: Kazutoshi Takao; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) and is under construction at the Hongawara Ship Yard Co., Ltd. (President: Makoto Hongawara; Headquarters: Fukuyama-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture). The ship is scheduled to be delivered in March 2024 and will start servicing in Fukuoka Prefecture in April 2024.
The ship will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 53%-100% compared to conventional fossil fuels vessels, by introducing a system that would be the first case in Japan, that allows the selection of any of operating modes: hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and biodiesel fuel.
MOL Group will pursue the introduction of next-generation bunkering vessels, including this project, and will work in concert toward the goal of net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
(Source and image: MOL – Hanaria hybrid passenger ship)