MOL, Chevron to install first rigid sails on LNG carrier

Wind Challenger, a hard sail wind-assisted ship propulsion system developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding, will be installed on a newbuild LNG carrier on long-term charter from MOL Encean – a MOL subsidiary to Chevron Asia Pacific Shipping.

The vessel – as yet unnamed – is under construction at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard in Korea with delivery scheduled in 2026. Last month, MOL obtained an approval in principle from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK), a first for an LNG carrier with a wind-assisted ship propulsion system.  

Wind Challenger uses two 49-m fibre-glass reinforced plastic sails which can be retracted to lower the centre of gravity and keep the ship stable in rough weather. A fully automated control system, complete with proprietary technology, uses sensors to detect the speed and direction of the wind and automatically extends, reduces and rotates the sails.

This is not the first trial of Wind Challenger. The first unit was installed on 2022-built, 100,400-dwt coal carrier Shofu Maru. On its maiden voyage with Wind Challenger, MOL said data showed Shofu Maru recorded fuel consumption reductions of 5% on the Japan-Australia route and 8% on the Japan-North America West Coast route, with up to 17% per day fuel consumption reduction when the sails were operated in automatic control mode. 

In July, MOL outfitted one of its dry bulk ships, 63,896-dwt Green Winds, with an electric hoisting version of the Wind Challenger system. Seven newbuilding bulk carriers and multi-purpose vessels operated by MOL Drybulk Ltd are to be fitted with Wind Challenger wind-assissted systems and MOL plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030 and 80 vessels by 2035.

In addition to the design of Wind Challenger itself, additional safety measures include a fully enclosed navigation bridge and a lookout station on the vessel’s fore deck to further enhance visibility.

For tradability, the installation position of the Wind Challenger aims to minimise the impact on the existing design of membrane-type LNG carriers. It will enable the retention of the existing mooring arrangement to remain unchanged, minimising the impact on ship-shore compatibility, together with a limited impact on the vessel’s windage area.

"We’re proud to partner with MOL in Wind Challenger’s industry-first LNG installation," said Chevron Shipping Co president Barbara Pickering, "This is another example of using novel approaches in hard-to-abate sectors to reduce carbon intensity in our LNG fleet."

Mitsui OSK Lines president and chief executive Takeshi Hashimoto said, "With the understanding and co-operation of Chevron, we are delighted to be able to extend the Wind Challenger Project to LNG carriers in addition to the two delivered Wind Challenger-equipped bulkers and other ongoing projects.” 

Modern wind propulsion continues to gain traction. The International Wind Ship Association, which promotes wind propulsion for commercial shipping, said it is starting to see shipowners push beyond single, one-off installations and make small fleet orders using the technology. As of July 2024, the number of installations totalled 45 vessels, in addition to 10 wind-ready vessels, with a combined total of over 3M dwt, indicating a three-fold increase in installations over the previous year. The Wind Challenger technology will be exhibited at the MOL booth at Gastech Exhibition & Conference 2024 in Houston, 17-20 September.