Mitsubishi builds hybrid cargo carrier

A cargo carrier operated partly by on-deck generated solar photovoltaic energy was completed at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works in Kobe and received by Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen K.K. The 60,213-ton carrier Auriga Leader was developed jointly by Nippon Yusen and Nippon Oil Corp. to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve energy consumption. A total of 328 solar panels, each with a length of 1 to 1.5 meters and a width of 0.5 to 1 meters, installed on the vessel’s decks can generate a maximum of 40 kilowatts, covering 0.3% of the vessel’s motive energy. (December 20, 2008)