THE FIRST of 12 new car carriers due to be delivered to Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) by early 2007 has just been launched at Mitsubishi’s Kobe shipyard in Japan. The 200-metre long, 60 200-ton Utopia Ace - featuring the same advanced technologies that made Courageous Ace “Ship of the Year” for 2003 - has a car-carrying capacity of 6 400 units, and a speed of 20.65-knots. Amongst the advanced features is a double-hulled fuel tank that reduces the risk of oil spills - and for which MOL and Mitsubishi have applied for a patent. The hull’s underwater design - described as “hyper-slim” - reduces water resistance by 8% compared to a conventionally designed vessel, and the aerodynamically rounded design at the bow and on the sides reduces wind resistance.
