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High-Speed Cargo Ship Revolutionizing Marine
Transportation
 The Techno Super Liner (TSL) is being developed in joint research initiated in 1989 by the Ministry of Transport and the ship-building industry. The specifications call for a next-generation super-high-speed cargo ship with payload of over 1000 tons that can cruise at 50 knots (93 kph (58 mph)). By way of illustration, such a ship would be able to make a day-return trip to Hokkaido from the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. To prove the feasibility of the technology, two prototype test ships have already been made: the Hisho (since refitted and renamed to Kibo), (1,590 tons and 70 meters (230 feet) long) makes use of buoyancy and pressurization; and the Hayate, (40 tons and 18.6 meters (61 feet) long) makes use of buoyancy and aerodynamic lift. The Hisho was built from aluminum alloy in 1994 and successfully completed comprehensive tests in 1995 that included the shipping of actual cargo over long distances, night operation, and test of the loading and unloading system. After these successful tests, the ship was refitted as a rescue ship and handed over to Shizuoka Prefecture in March 1997. Currently the ship is also seeing service as ferry between Shimizu and Shimoda in Shizuoka Prefecture. Even with a full 190-ton payload the ship can maintain a cruising speed of 40 knots (74 kph (46 mph)). If a disaster occurs, the ship can be expected to show its power to rapidly bring in supplies by sea. In recent years, the road transport network has suffered from chronic congestion, and is considered to be a major source of environmental degradation, such as air pollution. Consequently, plans call for the so-called modal shift, emphasizing switch to sea and rail transport. The TSL project is investigating and testing the feasibility of marine transport that, by providing both the large capacity of cargo ships with speeds that automobiles can achieve, aims to carry forward the next generation of transportation. Photo: "Kibo," a TSL rescue ship (Shizuoka Prefecture). Unauthorized reproduction of the
photos in this page is prohibited.
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