MOL to Enhance Organizational Structure for 'FOCUS' Development Project, Promoting Ship Big Data Analysis of Ship Operation
- Aiming for Stress-free Services -

March 27, 2020

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Junichiro Ikeda) today announced an agreement with NAPA, Ltd. (President: Mikko Kuosa; Headquarters: Helsinki), a software company that develops systems for ship design and operation support, to jointly develop the "FOCUS (Note 1)" project, which aims at the application of big data to analyze vessel operation.

With this agreement, the "FOCUS" project will be developed with four companies—MOL, NAPA, Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (President: Tetsuro Koga; Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo), and Weathernews Inc. (President and Representative Director: Chihito Kusabiraki; Headquarters: Chiba-shi, Chiba Prefecture).

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK; President & CEO Hiroaki Sakashita; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), NAPA has an advantage in ship operation monitoring and big data analysis technologies, and an extensive track record in operation support solution services for merchant vessels including LNG carriers. It also developed a propulsion performance analysis service based on information gained from vessel logs and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) (Note 2).

Under the four-company structure for the "FOCUS" development project, the members will move ahead with big data analysis of ship operation by combining experience and expertise and seek to offer customer-friendly, stress-free services. Through "FOCUS," MOL continually takes a proactive stance in collaboration with other companies and research institutes, transcending business categories, while emphasizing the use and application of ship operation data.

(Note 1)
October 15, 2018 press release:
Launching of the "FOCUS" Project - Collaborative Innovation Transcending Business Categories; ICT-based, Data-driven Project Aims at Safer Operation and Cleaner Environment -

(Note 2)
October 24, 2018 press release:
MOL Announces Plan for Trial Introduction of Energy-saving Operation Analysis Service on 80 Bulkcarriers - Aiming to Reduce Environmental Impact by Optimizing Propulsion Performance -