Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and its group company MOL Drybulk intend to install wind propulsion systems including Wind Challenger on a total of seven newbuilding bulk carriers and multi-purpose vessels, which will be operated by MOL Drybulk.
MOL has measured the performance of the Wind Challenger on the vessel Shofu Maru continuously on actual voyages and confirmed that the Wind Challenger sail reduced daily fuel consumption and GHG emissions by up to 17%, depending on various conditions such as the type of vessel and the shipping route. MOL Group will have a total of nine Wind Challenger-equipped vessels, bringing the total number of vessels equipped with wind propulsion systems to 11.
Among the seven vessels to be equipped with wind propulsion systems, six new bulk carriers will each be equipped with one Wind Challenger. Construction contracts have already been signed with Oshima Shipbuilding for three of the six vessels, and preparations are under way for construction contracts for the remaining three vessels. In addition, MOL Drybulk has decided to install two Ventfoils, a foldable and autonomous unit for wind-assisted ship propulsion, manufactured by EconoWind of the Netherlands, on one of its new multipurpose vessels scheduled for delivery in 2025 for operation under a time charter.
Image: ‘Shofu Maru’, the first vessel equipped with the Wind Challenger hard sail system (source: MOL)
