Japanese shipbuilders jointly develop methanol DF bulker Bingo 42

Japanese shipbuilders Onomichi Dockyard and Tsuneishi Shipbuilding have jointly developed the Bingo 42, a 42,200 dwt methanol dual fuel bulk carrier, aiming to tackle numerous issues surrounding the vessel design process and increase market share with the joint brand name.

As explained, the initiative was driven by recognizing a shared challenge concerning the design workload for new vessels.

In Japan, shipyards typically undertake all stages of design, from basic design to production, on an individual company basis. This approach requires a substantial design workload when a new design is developed, significantly burdening the design team. This is further expected to increase in the future, particularly in response to alternative fuel-powered vessels.

Recognizing the advantages of the shipyards’ close geographic proximity, Onomichi and Tsuneishi said they have ‘a shared understanding’ of these issues. The duo has decided they can establish a cooperative system based on shared values and objectives.

The target vessel type for the collaborative development project is a Handysize bulk carrier in both companies’ existing product ranges. In the collaborative development project, Onomichi and Tsuneishi have shared their expertise, development ideas, and strategies based on each other’s previous design and construction experience.

In addition, they have also held numerous discussions on how to enhance each other’s conventional hull forms. The length of the conventional hull form has been increased by 3m, and the hull form has been optimized, resulting in improved cargo capacity and fuel efficiency for Onomichi’s 40BC and enhanced fuel efficiency for Tsuneishi’s TESS42.

What is more, MT-FAST1 has been installed as an energy-saving measure, resulting in improved propulsion performance and fuel efficiency compared to both companies’ conventional hull forms. The design has achieved a reduction of more than 35% from the reference line under the EEDI environmental regulations. The ship is also designed to be methanol dual-fueled.

The vessel, which was developed in collaboration between the two companies, is named Bingo42, an acronym for ‘Beyond Innovation, Navigating Green Ocean’. This name reflects the fact that both companies are shipyards in the Bingo region in east Hiroshima prefecture, Japan, and that the collaboration will contribute to innovation and a sustainable marine environment.

While the structural design, construction and sales will be carried out separately by each company, depending on the vessel’s specifications and each company’s facilities, the concept design will be unified to increase market share through orders and construction under the same brand.

With carbon neutrality initiatives emerging, the marine industry needs to urgently improve the efficiency of research and development of alternative fuel vessels for the future, the duo believes. Starting with this new initiative, the two shipyards aim to contribute to the industry’s efforts to become carbon neutral.

“We are very pleased that TSUNEISHI’s needs and the development of a new type of vessel have coincided and that we have been able to develop the Bingo 42 together. We believe that this newly developed vessel type will be able to lead the industry as a standard for Handysize vessels. We look forward to continuing our exchange with TSUNEISHI in the future and to having the opportunity to work together to improve our technologies with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality,”Motoya Hiroyuki, Director and General Manager of the Production Division of Onomichi Dockyard, commented.