Japan’s Naniwa Pump Manufacturing has recently developed an ultra-light marine pump made of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced composite material). This highly durable marine pump is also "the world's first". It is provided for the hydrofoil jet boat "SEVEN ISLANDS YUI" manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Tokai Kisen and JRTT, Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency jointly ordered this ship based on a design 25 years ago.
The development of the CFRP pump was funded by the Nippon Foundation of Japan and the Japan Ship Machinery and Equipment Association. This grant was launched in 2014 and was specifically set up for the development of lightweight composite pump technology.
After learning about this new project, Naniwa Pump Manufacturing Co., Ltd. suggested replacing the "traditional" aluminum pump with its newly developed CFRP model. It is super light-the weight is usually a quarter (1/4) of the weight of a standard bronze cast pump used on sea ships. At the same time, the durability and maintainability of the CFRP pump is unmatched by the aluminum pumps installed on the Kawasaki Jet Foil series in the past.
After repeated tests of a large number of components, it is proved that it can withstand the most demanding use environment, so as to achieve the required pressure resistance and durability. Naniwa Pump worked closely with the customer Kawasaki Heavy Industries and the ship operator Donghai Steamship for a two-year development work, and delivered the ship on June 30, 2020.
"SEVEN ISLANDS YUI" will carry out passenger transportation on the route between Takeshiba (Tokyo) and the Izu Island area.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries plans to also install this CFRP pump in the future transformation of the Kawasaki hydrofoil jet boat series. Naniwa CFRP pumps have become another member of Naniwa's continuously evolving product series. The development of high durability and ultra-lightweight pumps continues.