NYK develops fuel saving device for bulk carriers

NYK develops fuel saving device for bulk carriers NYK Group affiliate Monohakobi Technology Institute, in partnership with Tsuneishi Holdings Corp., has developed a device that is said to reduce a vessel’s fuel consumption by about 4 percent.
   MT-FAST is a “pre-swirl stator type” device that can be fitted to the submerged part of a vessel’s hull to maximize the propulsive efficiency. In addition to being able to be fitted to new vessels, MT-FAST can be retroactively fitted to existing vessels. NYK plans to fit the first of the devices to a wood-chip carrier that it will start operating from June. After that, the Japanese shipping company will fit the appendage to other bulk carriers in its fleet.
   “Under the dual pressures of environmental concerns and escalating raw material prices, the need and desire to save fuel is great. In order to answer these pressing social needs, the NYK Group has developed a highly versatile hull appendage as a means of saving energy,” NYK said in a statement.