'Korea's First Hybrid Ship' Departs from the Coast of Chungnam

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The country's first hybrid ship is cutting through the waters off Chungnam.

Chungnam Province announced on the 20th that it has received the environmentally friendly transport vessel "Neul Pureun Chungnamho" and deployed it on site for full-scale operation.

Neul Pureun Chungnamho was built for the purpose of directly transporting marine debris collected from six coastal cities and counties and 18 island areas along the West Sea, which had previously been entrusted to the private sector.

The total project cost for building the ship was 7.5 billion KRW, half of which was supported by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The ship was constructed with a weight of 131 tons, a length of 32 meters, and a depth of 2.3 meters. It can carry up to 25 people, has a maximum cruising range of 1,200 km, and a top speed of 13 knots (24 km/h).

Neul Pureun Chungnamho is also significant as the first hybrid ship built domestically since the enactment of the Act on the Development and Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Ships in 2018.

The ship can navigate using a hybrid propulsion system that alternates between a diesel engine and an energy storage device (battery).

When operating at high speed, the diesel engine is used, and when moving at low speed or over short distances, it can also run on an electric motor.

Using only the battery, it can operate for up to 40 minutes at 6 knots (11 km/h) covering 4 miles (7.4 km), and the battery is automatically charged when running on the diesel engine.

The province expects both fine dust reduction and fuel cost savings with the introduction of Neul Pureun Chungnamho.

When the ship operates with the diesel engine, nitrogen oxides (NOx), a cause of fine dust, are emitted at 4.38 kg per hour (international standard is 5.10 kg per hour), but when propelled by the electric motor, there are no emissions. Therefore, using the electric motor during low-speed entry and exit can prevent air pollutant emissions within the port, according to the province.

Due to the hybrid system characteristics, fuel cost savings are also expected.

Neul Pureun Chungnamho will primarily handle the land transport of marine debris and also engage in marine environment preservation, support for marine pollution accident response, and activities such as prevention and rescue of maritime accidents.

A provincial official said, "It has been found that coastal (inland) ships account for more than 40% of air pollutants emitted by domestic ships. Hybrid ships are a starting point to reduce air pollutant emissions from coastal vessels, and Neul Pureun Chungnamho will serve as a pilot model in line with the global trend of strengthening exhaust regulations in the shipping sector."

Meanwhile, last year, the total amount of marine debris collected in Korea was 121,076 tons. Of this, 12,625 tons were collected in Chungnam, ranking third nationwide.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.