J-Power’s Coal Carrier to Sport Wind Challenger Propulsion System

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Electric Power Development (J-Power) have agreed to install the Wind Challenger hard sail propulsion system, which converts wind energy to propulsive force, on the coal carrier Kurotakisan Maru.

The installation of the Wind Challenger sail, which transports steaming coal to J-Power's power stations, is schedule for the second half of 2025.

This marks the first installation of the Wind Challenger on a vessel currently in service by retrofitting, according to MOL.

The Wind Challenger is a device developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding, which converts wind energy to propulsive force using telescoping hard sails. This is MOL's second Wind Challenger-equipped coal carrier, following the Shofu Maru for Tohoku Electric Power.

The introduction of the Wind Challenger is expected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 5% on a Japan-Australia voyage and about 8% on a Japan-North America West Coast voyage, compared to a conventional vessel of the same type, thus contributing to reduced GHG emissions during fuel transportation.

MOL said it will continue to pursue the use of wind-assisted energy-saving technologies such as the Wind Challenger to reduce GHG emissions and contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society.