Japanese marine shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines plans to put the country's first biofuel-hydrogen tourist vessel into service next year as part of an industrywide push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mitsui O.S.K. group member MOL Techno-Trade held a launch ceremony Wednesday for the new hybrid vessel at Hongawara Ship Yard, close to the Hiroshima prefecture cove believed to have served as a model for the Studio Ghibli animated film "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea."
The roundish, 33-meter-long vessel holds 100 people. It will go into commercial service in April 2024 in Fukuoka prefecture. The ship will be powered by a combination of biofuel and hydrogen cells, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 53% to 100% compared with vessels running on conventional fossil fuels. Only a handful of such hybrid ships exist worldwide. Electric propulsion will make the interior quiet enough for corporate training events, seminars and wedding receptions.
Motena-Sea, a joint venture set up in March 2022, will operate the hybrid vessel. Investors in Motena-Sea include MOL Techno-Trade, Hongawara Ship Yard, and ship management companies Ikous and Kanmon-Kisen. Biofuel will be locally sourced.
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