Mitsui O.S.K. Lines: MOL Introduces “BUNKER HUB” Bunker Oils & Lubricants Management System

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) today announced that, along with its group company MOL Information Systems, Ltd. (MOLIS; President: Tsuyoshi Yoshida; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), it has developed the new system “BUNKER HUB” as part of its efforts to promote Digital Transformation (DX), a new system to manage bunker oil and lubricant analysis results and started its service in August of this year.

MOL is the only Japanese ocean shipping company that has its own bunker oil and lubricant analytical laboratory; the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Technology Research Center opened 60 years ago. The system consolidates statistic data such as “analysis results by vessel/region” and “off-spec bunker occurrence area distribution” on the cloud. It also significantly improves user-friendliness and operability by adding a function that allows online access/monitoring of analysis data, anytime and anywhere.

Technology Research Center analyzes about 7,000 samples collected from about 800 MOL Group-operated vessels every year. The system encompasses all analysis results and allows MOL Group employees to check them online. This helps them evaluate bunkering ports and its quality in terms of past bunker oil results. MOL expects this to help avoid the use of avoidance of inferior bunker oils.

Analysis results and statistical data accumulated in the system, especially trends in bunker oil characteristics by area/fuel, is considered big data that will contribute to improve technology and safer operation among maritime clusters. In the future, MOL will, not only sell the system to other companies, but also share such data to contribute to the growth of maritime industries.