Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), MOL Drybulk,, Furukawa Electric and Tsuneishi Shipbuilding announced a successful field trial of the “InfraLaser” system on the outer hull of a vessel in December 2024.
As the first effort by the four companies, the field trial was conducted in December 2024 on a ship operated by MOL confirming the effectiveness of the laser application of the system under development to the outer hull.
In the field trial, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding provided feedback for use in shipbuilding and ship repair, and MOL and MOL Drybulk provided development support and feedback as ship operators and managers.
These will be reflected in the development of the “InfraLaser” system and optimized into a shape and specifications suitable for use in real environment.
During ship repairs, rust and coatings are removed for hull inspection and repainting. However, the current sandblasting method, which removes rust and coatings by blasting abrasive materials against the surface, scatters waste materials and removed paint as debris, necessitating recovery efforts.
By replacing this with a laser blasting method that generates minimal waste, dust, and noise.
