OREANDA-NEWS. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. (MOL) today announced that the energy-saving Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF) - developed by MOL, West Japan Fluid Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd., and Nakashima-Mitsuwa Propeller Co., Ltd., and marketed by MOL Tech - have now been ordered for 3,000 vessels worldwide.

The PBCF is an energy-saving device attached to the propeller of a vessel. It breaks up the hub vortex generated behind the rotating propeller, resulting in a decrease of more than 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year because of a 3-5% reduction in fuel consumption, when installed on a large-scale containership.

Research and development on the PBCF started in 1986, and sales began the following year. Since then an increasing number of shipowners, mainly in Japan, began to adopt the system. By 2006, the 19th year since the start of sales, the PBCF had been ordered for 1,000 vessels. Backed by concerns over rising fuel prices and growing awareness of the need to reduce CO2 emissions, it has gained worldwide recognition and the owners and operators who believed in PBCF's high-quality and performance have repeatedly ordered. The number of ships adopting it has doubled in just five years, reaching the 2,000 vessel milestone in 2011, and now exceeding the 3,000 milestone in just four years.

The PBCF is easy to install, and is mounted only with bolts like a normal boss cap. It is also maintenance free after installation because it has no moving parts. These features have made it a popular energy-saving device and a brisk seller even nearly 30 years after its introduction.

To realize the goal of "solid growth through innovative changes" stated in the midterm management plan STEER FOR 2020, the MOL Group has worked to develop next-generation vessel concepts to reduce environmental impact through the Senpaku ISHIN project. The PBCF is one of the key elemental technologies. The MOL Group's ongoing efforts to develop and refine various environmental technologies contribute to environmental protection by reducing CO2 emissions from vessels.