World 1st ‘Long-Range and Real-Time Wind Condition Measurement Device’ Installation at RORO vessel
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) and Metro Weather Co., Ltd. (CEO: Junichi Furumoto; Headquarters: Uji-shi, Kyoto) today announced the start of a demonstration experiment on the route between Tokyo and Fukuoka using Metro Weather’s Doppler LiDAR (Note 1), a long-range wind condition measurement device installed on the RORO vessel MUSASHI MARU-owned by MOL Group company, MOL Sunflower Ltd.
This is the first time in the world that a Doppler LiDAR has been installed on a large seagoing vessel. Using the Doppler LiDAR, MOL and Metro Weather will observe real-time wind 3-dimensional conditions more than 10 km away from MUSASHI MARU and can see such wind conditions onboard. In addition, as part of the maritime industry’s digital transformation (DX), big data, such as wind conditions obtained onboard, is transferred to shore via Starlink, a high-speed data communication system. This aims to reduce fuel oil consumption onboard and contribute to safe operations.
Navigating in Tokyo Bay and detecting Wind
MOL has invested in Metro Weather through MOL PLUS Co., Ltd., an MOL Group corporate venture capital arm, pursuing business alliances in a wide range of fields (Note 2). MOL and Metro Weather will continue to leverage their core technologies and resources to add new value to the shipping industry and society through synergy.
(Note 1) Doppler LiDAR is a type of Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar), and it can measure wind direction and speed in three dimensions within a radius of 15 km by irradiating minute dust particles floating in the air with infrared laser, which is harmless to the human body, and receiving the reflected waves.
(Note 2) For the initiatives to date, please refer to the July 28, 2022, press release: “MOL and Metro Weather Launch Development of World’s First “Onboard Wind Condition Measurement Device” – Successful Onboard Demonstration Experiment Using Doppler Lidar -.
About Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.
The MOL Group’s vision is to develop various social infrastructure businesses centered on marine transport and to meet the changing needs of society, including environmental conservation, through the evolution of technology and services. This project is in line with the “BLUE ACTION 2035” management plan, which addresses the sustainability issues of “Innovation,” “Safety & Value,” and “Environment,” in addition to the group vision. The MOL Group contributes to the sustainable development of people, society, and the Earth, and opens the way to a prosperous future from the blue oceans.
URL: https://www.mol.co.jp/en/
About Metro Weather Co., Ltd.
Metro Weather develops and markets Doppler LiDAR and the data it gathers-determining and visualizing wind conditions in 3D and in real time by receiving reflected light from fluttering dust and fine particles in the atmosphere as scatterers, using infrared light, and analyzing them based on the Doppler effect. It has conducted joint research and demonstration experiments with several companies and research institutes in and out of Japan, and since 2021, it has participated in a NASA research and development project. https://www.metroweather.jp/en/
