A bow windshield, also known as a wind deflector, is a round and smooth structure mounted on the bow of a ship that improves a vessel's

aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

characteristics, allowing for greater

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical energy, chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or Mechanical work, w ...

and a reduction of

carbon emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

. The technology is limited to

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...

s, though is predicted to become more popular due to greater international emphasis on environmentalism.

Concept

To be in motion, any object must need to overcome

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...

. For large container ships, between 2 and 10% of resistance encountered is caused by drag, which worsens a vessel’s fuel economy as the additional friction requires more energy (in the form of

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

) to overcome. This issue is often exemplified by the blocky and un-aerodynamic shapes of a vessel's

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

and by any

containers A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

carried on the deck. The aerodynamic shape of a bow windshield is intended to solve this problem, as it would allow air to flow around the ship's bow with less friction, thus decreasing the drag on the vessel. In turn, the decrease in friction would allow less fuel to be used to maintain speed, decreasing carbon emissions and the cost in fuel.

History

The technology was first fitted on

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (; abbreviated MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. Founded as a key part of the Mitsui ''zaibatsu'' (family-owned ...

' container ship ''Mol Marvel'' in 2015, and within two years, the company reported that the device reduced her

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

emissions by 2%.

Ocean Network Express Ocean Network Express Holdings, Ltd., branded as ONE, is a Japanese Containerization, container transportation and Freight transport, shipping company jointly owned by the Japanese shipping Lines Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and K Li ...

, a joint venture by OSK Line and several other companies, operate ''ONE Trust'' and ''ONE Tradition'', both of which have been fitted with a bow windshield. Outside of the company,

CMA CGM The Compagnie maritime d'affrètement - Compagnie générale maritime or CMA CGM is a French shipping and logistics company founded in 1978 by Jacques Saadé. The name is an acronym of two predecessor companies, Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètemen ...

's ship also features the design. With more stringent limits on carbon emissions set by the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO; ; ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a ...

, the technology is predicted to become more common as companies risk ships being banned from

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...

if their vessel exceed carbon emission limits.

References

{{Reflist Watercraft components Marine engineering Naval architecture Container ships Nautical terminology