MOL’s hybrid passenger ship starts operation in Japan

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ (MOL) hybrid passenger ship that can run on both hydrogen and batteries pack has commenced operations in Kitakyushu, Japan.

PHOTO: MOL’s hybrid vessel Hanaria. MOL

The hybrid passenger ship, Hanaria, can achieve “a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction rate of 53%-100% compared to conventional fossil-fueled vessels of the same class,” MOL claims.

It can operate in three modes: hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and biodiesel.

However, the company has not revealed whether the hydrogen utilised will be brown/grey (generated with fossil fuels) or green (produced with renewable energy), which could significantly impact its carbon dioxide reduction potential.

MOL has also provided limited details regarding the characteristics of the biofuel and the proportion blended into conventional oil-based bunker fuels.

By Tuhin Roy

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