Vessels have continued to become larger in step with growth in seaborne trade.
And as ships have increased, engine technology has improved by leaps and bounds.
Before WWII
Completion of First steamship Hideyoshi Maru
In 1874, the world's first vessel equipped with a three cylinder compound steam engine
was launched. Just four years later in 1878, the first vessel powered by this revolutionary engine, the Hideyoshi Maru, was launched in the U.K. The Hideyoshi Maru transported coal from Miike, Fukuoka Prefecture to Kuchinotsu, Nagasaki Prefecture.
MOL's first diesel vessel
1924 brought the launch of the Ondo Maru, the first large diesel –powered merchant vessel to serve domestic routes in Japan, and the Akagisan Maru
, Japan's first ocean-going diesel ship. The Montevideo Maru, launched in 1926, was the first ship powered by a made-in-Japan diesel engine.
Akagisan Maru
The four-cycle diesel engine was used as a main engine.
Montevideo Maru
The Montevideo Maru featured a high-output (7,000HP) two-cycle engine.
Exhaust Gas turbo charger
The engine underwent continual upgrades, and in 1931, the Nachisan Maru adopted the first four-cycle engine equipped with an exhaust gas turbo charger.
Post WWII:
The Era of Rapid Growth
Postwar technology revolution
The first noteworthy technology revolution after the war was the adoption of degraded marine heavy oil (C oil) as a fuel for diesel engines. This was impossible before that time because C oil is highly viscous and difficult to ignite. Ocean shipping companies and shipbuilders teamed up to overcome this problem and the Atlas Maru launched in 1951 and the Awajisan Maru delivered the following year were able to run on degraded marine heavy oil, significantly reducing ship operating costs.
The next breakthrough was practical application of turbochargers on large two-cycle diesel engines. Four-cycle engines had used exhaust gas turbochargers since before the war, but it would be another 22 years until they were adapted to two-cycle engines, realizing improvements in output and fuel efficiency. The advent of the turbocharged two-cycle diesel engine came in 1953 when this power plant was installed as a replacement for the main engine in the Arimasan Maru at a Japanese shipbuilding company.
Arimasan Maru
The turbocharged two-cycle engine showed dramatic results – a 35% increase in output and an 8% decrease in fuel consumption. Over a half-century later, most ocean-going vessels are powered by turbocharged two-cycle diesel engines.
Automation of engine room
In 1955-64, MOL actively adopted new technologies to automate vessels and thus reduce labor costs. The Kinkasan Maru launched in 1961 was the world's first vessel with an automated engine room, allowing centralized monitoring and measurement of engine room machinery, and operation of the main engine from the bridge.
Remote operation console on the bridge of the Kinkasan Maru
Larger hulls and more powerful engines
Over the years since 1965 vessel hulls became larger and designs more diverse to accommodate specialized cargoes. Developments included bulk carriers that featured innovative, specialized car carriers to handle Japan's booming exports of automobiles. This decade was a revolutionary period in terms of both quality and quantity.
It was the tanker that grew bigger the most dramatically and rapidly compared to other ships. In 1971, the tanker Mitsuminesan Maru was launched, displacing a massive 220,000 tons. It was powered by the world's largest diesel engine at that time (38,000 HP).
The iron ore carrier also grew to mammoth size to meet increased demand for iron ore. In 1972, the iron ore carrier Chidorisan Maru, weighing in at 160,000 tons, joined the fleet.
Energy- efficient technology
As larger vessels first came on the scene, energy conservation was not generally so such a major concern, but MOL has always focused on fuel efficiency in adopting new ships.
One energy efficient feature was a system to generate electricity utilizing the heat of the main engine's exhaust gas. This was first used on the Tokiwasan Maru launched in 1965, well ahead of other Japanese ocean shipping companies, and has been used on many of our newbuilding vessels ever since.
The concept of waste heat energy recovery system to generate electric power is at the heart of ISHIN-III. It is a simple device to use the heat of the exhaust gas to produce steam, which in turn drives a turbine that generates electricity.
Fuel prices skyrocketed during the first "Oil Shock" in 1973, and fuel costs began to represent a drastically higher percentage of ship operating expenses. One countermeasure was to replace vessels' main engines. The resulting 40% to 50% savings in fuel was enough of a benefit to justify even the high costs of replacing the main engine. MOL followed this logic in 1980, replacing the main engine on the containership Rhine Maru.
After Oil Shock
The world's first ultra energy-efficient diesel engine
In 1982, the Harriet Maru, equipped with the world's first ultra energy-efficient diesel engine, joined the MOL fleet. The engine boasted a heat efficiency rating of 50%, marking an all-time high in fuel efficiency. Its main engine adopted the Advanced Turbo Generating System, a significant improvement over the one used on the Tokiwasan Maru, and a shaft-driven generator.
We have seen even more improvements in fuel-saving technology since then, and today's main engines use nearly 70% of the fuel's thermal energy, although 40% to 50% is actually transmitted to the propeller shafts.
1985 brought the launch of a vessel that built upon the Harriet Maru's technology with the addition of computer controls for the power generating system. The Atagosan Maru launched in 1989 adopted the Turbo Compound System on the low rpm/high fuel efficient main engine as we continued our quest for increased fuel efficiency.
