MOL tests wind condition measurement device on RoRo vessel

Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), in collaboration with compatriot tech company Metro Weather, has started a demonstration experiment of a long-range wind condition measurement device installed on a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ship.

This is the first time in the world that a wind condition measurement device, Doppler LiDAR, has been installed on a large seagoing vessel, according to MOL. The ship MusashiI Maru is owned by MOL’s division, MOL Sunflower.

Doppler LiDAR is a type of light detection and ranging (Lidar). It can measure wind direction and speed in three dimensions within a radius of 15 km by irradiating minute dust particles floating in the air with an infrared laser.

Using the Doppler LiDAR, MOL and Metro Weather plan to observe real-time wind 3-dimensional conditions more than 10 km away from Musashi Maru and see such wind conditions onboard.

In addition, as part of the maritime industry’s digital transformation, big data, such as wind conditions obtained onboard, will be transferred to shore via Starlink, a high-speed data communication system. This aims to reduce fuel oil consumption onboard and contribute to safe operations, MOL noted.

The shipping company has invested in Metro Weather through MOL PLUS, an MOL Group corporate venture capital arm, pursuing business alliances in a wide range of fields.

The companies plan to continue to leverage their core technologies and resources to add new value to the shipping industry and society through synergy in the future.