MOL, SHI Win DNV GL AIP for ULCV Bow Windshield Design

Classification society DNV GL has issued an approval in principle (AIP) to Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) and South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for a bow windshield designed for an ultra large container vessel (ULCV).

As explained, the newly developed bow windshield reduces the wind resistance on the hull body while a ship is running.

In addition, the solution is said to reduce CO2 emissions from 2 to 4% due to the optimal design for a ULCV.

In 2015, MOL developed and installed the bow windshield on its mid-size containership, MOL Marvel, in order to explore the device’s potential to reduce wind resistance, save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions. In 2017, the company confirmed that the wind resistance-reducing windshield for containerships cuts CO2 emissions by about 2%.

At the same time, SHI also developed a bow windshield for a ULCV.

Using both companies’ technologies, MOL and SHI started a joint-development project for the optimal bow windshield design for ULCV which resulted in gaining the latest approval from DNV GL.