MOL Adopts Low-friction Hull Paint
News Release
MOL (Europe) B.V. (European Head Office)
July 25, 2011
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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">ROTTERDAM, 25 July
2011</SPAN></B><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
–</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Mitsui O.S.K.
Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) today announced the adoption of a new
low-friction “Seaflo Neo” developed by Chugoku Marine Paint, Ltd. (President:
Masataka Uetake). After analyzing the results of an onboard test with a
newbuilding vessel, the company confirmed that the new paint offers improvements
in fuel efficiency compared to conventional paints. This will contribute to the
reduction of CO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions from vessels.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN> </P><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>Friction between the hull
and the water accounts for the majority of resistance as a vessel moves through
the water. Reducing friction drag is a very effective way to reduce
CO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions during vessel operation. MOL has taken a proactive
stance in developing and adopting a low-friction paint as one of its
environmental initiatives.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>[Newbuilding vessels
adopting the new paint]</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN><BR>Car carrier <I>Eternal
Ace </I>(capacity: 6,400 units of standard passenger cars) built by Minaminippon
Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and completed on July 25, 2011</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>Car carrier <I>Brilliant Ace
</I>(capacity: 6,400 units of standard passenger cars) built by Minaminippon
Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and completed on March 30, 2011</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>[Seaflo Neo]</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN><BR>The main characteristic
of the new paint, developed by Chugoku Marine Paint is the </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN-US>high smoothness of their
paint film surface</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"
lang=EN>, the result of a newly developed low-viscosity hydrolyzed polymer. The
ultra-smooth finish minimizes friction drag between the hull and the water,
improving fuel efficiency by 3-5% compared to an identical vessel with a
conventional hull coating. Called Seaflo Neo, the new environment-friendly paint
is also low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a major source of air
pollution.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN-US>As one of the
environmental strategies in the midterm management plan GEAR UP! the company is
promoting its next-generation vessel concept Sempaku ISHIN. The adoption of the
new paint is part of the concept. MOL moves aggressively to adopt various
technologies that will contribute to reducing the environmental burden of its
business activities. </P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"> </P></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE>
<META content="text/html; charset=unicode" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18904"></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">ROTTERDAM, 25 July
2011</SPAN></B><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
–</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Mitsui O.S.K.
Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) today announced the adoption of a new
low-friction “Seaflo Neo” developed by Chugoku Marine Paint, Ltd. (President:
Masataka Uetake). After analyzing the results of an onboard test with a
newbuilding vessel, the company confirmed that the new paint offers improvements
in fuel efficiency compared to conventional paints. This will contribute to the
reduction of CO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions from vessels.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN> </P><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>Friction between the hull
and the water accounts for the majority of resistance as a vessel moves through
the water. Reducing friction drag is a very effective way to reduce
CO<SUB>2</SUB> emissions during vessel operation. MOL has taken a proactive
stance in developing and adopting a low-friction paint as one of its
environmental initiatives.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>[Newbuilding vessels
adopting the new paint]</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN><BR>Car carrier <I>Eternal
Ace </I>(capacity: 6,400 units of standard passenger cars) built by Minaminippon
Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and completed on July 25, 2011</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>Car carrier <I>Brilliant Ace
</I>(capacity: 6,400 units of standard passenger cars) built by Minaminippon
Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and completed on March 30, 2011</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN>[Seaflo Neo]</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN><BR>The main characteristic
of the new paint, developed by Chugoku Marine Paint is the </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN-US>high smoothness of their
paint film surface</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"
lang=EN>, the result of a newly developed low-viscosity hydrolyzed polymer. The
ultra-smooth finish minimizes friction drag between the hull and the water,
improving fuel efficiency by 3-5% compared to an identical vessel with a
conventional hull coating. Called Seaflo Neo, the new environment-friendly paint
is also low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a major source of air
pollution.</SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" lang=EN-US>As one of the
environmental strategies in the midterm management plan GEAR UP! the company is
promoting its next-generation vessel concept Sempaku ISHIN. The adoption of the
new paint is part of the concept. MOL moves aggressively to adopt various
technologies that will contribute to reducing the environmental burden of its
business activities. </P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"> </P></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>