MOL Opts to Equip Second Bulk Carrier with Hard Sail

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on Wednesday said it intends to equip a second bulk carrier with the Wind Challenger hard sail system, which harnesses the power of wind to propel the vessel, improving efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

MOL Group company MOL Drybulk Ltd. will operate the vessel, which will transport wood pellets for sustainable wood bioenergy producer Enviva Inc. and has signed a construction contract for the new ship with Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

The vessel, slated for delivery in 2024, will be the second Wind Challenger-equipped vessel in the MOL Group fleet, following one scheduled to enter services in October of this year.

The Wind Challenger is a telescoping hard sail that converts wind energy to propulsive force. Installation of one Wind Challenger sail on merchant ships has the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 5-8%. A bulk carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., the first vessel equipped with the Wind Challenger, is slated to be delivered in October 2022.

MOL noted it is also examining the feasibility of adopting Rotor Sails, an auxiliary wind propulsion system developed by Anemoi Marine Technologies Ltd, of the U.K. Combined use of both the Wind Challenger and Rotor Sails is expected to reduce GHG emissions by an average of 20%, MOL said.