DNVGL has issued an Approval In Principle to MOL and Samsung Heavy Industries for their Bow Wind-Shield designed for Ultra-Large Container Carrier.  This new technology Bow Wind-Shield, developed by MOL and built by Samsung, reduces wind resistance on hull body while the ship is running.  This in turn will reduce CO₂ emission by about 2–4%.
MOL has already installed bow wind shield on existing middle-size containership in 2015, and confirmed CO₂ reduction by about 2% in real-running condition in 2017.
Test Results:
Confirmed about 2% average CO₂ reduction after installing the windshield on the bow and sailing at 17 knots per hour, compared to operating an identical vessel at the same speed without the device installed.

Test Objectives:

• Accumulate Big Data on operational status during service on Asia-North America East Coast routes, and compare two sister ships with and without the windshield installed on the bow.
• Establish a method to eliminate the data on the effects of ocean waves, and extract only the change in performance due to reduced wind resistance.

With today’s larger containerships, the height of the containers loaded on their decks has increased, subjecting the vessels to greater wind resistance.  MOL recognized the need to address this issue in a cost-effective way.
Development of the new device began with an examination of the bow’s aerodynamic form through wind tunnel testing.  This led to the adoption of a horseshoe-shaped design, which encloses the front line of the stacked containers to maximize the wind resistance-reducing effect while minimizing the weight of the main unit.
The new windshield has enough design strength to meet the ClassNK rules concerning wave impact pressure.  In addition, by obliquely setting the containers placed along the sides of the vessel behind the windshield, the sides of the vessel will be more streamlined, further reducing wind resistance.
The project is backed by the Joint R&D for Industry Program, in which Nippon Kaiji Kyokai promotes wide-ranging R&D activities in cooperation with industry, government and academia.
It is conducted under the collaborative research of MOL, MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd., Akishima Laboratories (Mitsui Zosen) Inc., Ouchi Ocean Consultant, Inc., and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai.