First of “K” Line’s new ro-ro ships launched

Capable of carrying 7,500 cars, the Japanese ocean carrier’s new roll-on/roll-off vessel, “Drive Green Highway,” features energy saving technology including solar panels.    One of the largest solar energy systems ever installed on a ship will be part of a “K” Line’s new roll-on/roll-on vessel, the Drive Green Highway, expected to be delivered early this year.
   The solar panel manufacturer Solar Frontier said more than 900 of its panels are being installed on the ship’s top deck, totaling 150 kilowatt-peak of electricity generating capacity. The electricity generated by these solar panels will be used to power all LED lighting on the vehicle decks of the vessel, which has the capacity to carry 7,500 cars.
   The ship, the first of eight similar vessels being built as part of  K Line’s Drive Green Project, was launched earlier this month at a ceremony in Nagasu Port in Kumamoto, a coastal city in southern Japan.
   The Drive Green Highway has a wide variety of other features to make it more environmentally friendly and reduce energy use. These include an aerodynamic design to reduce wind resistance, low friction paint, exhaust gas heat recovery, an engine with low emissions of nitrogen oxides and scrubber to remove sulfur oxide.