Page 39: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2012)

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced the completion of the hy- brid car carrier Emerald Ace at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) Kobe shipyard, an innovative ship which is designed to gener- ate zero emissions while berthed.Emerald Ace was built as world?s first newly built hybrid car carrier, and is equipped with a hybrid electric power supply system that com- bines a 160kW solar generation system ? a system jointly developed by MHI, Energy Company of Panasonic Group, and MOL - with lithium-ion batteries that can store some2.2MWh of electricity. Conventional power generation systems use diesel-powered gen- erators to supply onboard electricity whileberthed. On the Emerald Ace, electricity is generated by the solar power generation system while the vessel is under way and stored in the lithium-ion batteries. The diesel-powered generator is completely shut down when the ship is in berth, and the batteries provide all the electricity it needs, resulting in zero emissions at the pier. The vessel's hybrid system represents a significant step forward in realiz- ing ISHIN-I, the concept for the next-generation car carrier that MOL announced in September 2009. MOL continues to take a proactive stance in technological development with the aim of reducing the en- vironmental burden of its vessels and operations. December 2012www.marinelink.com 39Length, o.a. (b.p.)199.99 m (192)Breadth.........................32.26 m Depth...........................34.52 m GT..................................60,154 Car Capacity......................6400 Main engine.............Mitsubish-UE ...............................7UEC60LSII Service speed..........20.65 knots Complement..........................32 Classification................Class NK Builder: MHI Type: Hybrid Car Carrier Emerald Ace World?s First Hybrid Car Carrier MR#12 (34-41):MR Template 12/5/2012 10:09 AM Page 39