Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Line[ds_preview]s (MOL) increases its efforts for efficient ship management and innovative technologies by launching a new entity called »Smart Shipping Office«.
The office is supposed to start operations tomorrow, as MOL announced now. »While information and communication technology (ICT) has rapidly been growing and potential applications at sea and between sea and shore are expanding, the Office will not only contribute to more advanced vessel operation and ship management by combining MOL Group’s expertise and the underlying seed technologies of ICT, but also make shipping services more convenient for customers by adding new value to shipping«, it was said.
In addition, the office would work to realize one of new technological development project concepts, »Advanced support technologies for safer vessel operation,« with the ultimate goal of autonomous sailing. In this context, MOL just recently launched »ISHIN NEXT – SMART SHIP PROJECT«, a new technological development project that builds on the success of the Senpaku ISHIN project, announced in 2009.
Through the project, the company intends to share its technological development policies with customers and other stakeholders, and therefore collect diversified needs and various seeds of technologies. »By matching them, MOL intends to develop two fields of technologies such as safer vessel operation and reducing environmental impact, which helps enhance its business strengths and increase its corporate value«, it was added.
The concepts includes the technological development with two axes of advanced support technologies for safer vessel operation and technologies for reducing environmental impact. MOL plans to verify practical effects of these technologies every one year after newbuild vessels are in-service.
