MOL equips first LNG carrier with wind sails
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has installed rigid wind sails on an LNG carrier under construction in South Korea, The Maritime Telegraph reports. The vessel will become the world’s first LNG carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger system, a wind-assisted propulsion technology aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
The project is being developed together with South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean. New construction images show two giant telescopic sails mounted near the bow as the vessel moves closer to delivery in 2026. MOL developed the Wind Challenger system with Oshima Shipbuilding. The rigid sails are made from fiber-reinforced plastic and can extend nearly 50 meters above the deck.
The company first introduced the technology on a coal carrier delivered in 2022. Since then, MOL has expanded the system to other vessels, with this LNG carrier becoming the first gas carrier to use it. Before approving the design, MOL, Hanwha Ocean, and ClassNK carried out safety studies covering visibility, emergency operations, and interaction with LNG systems. French engineering specialist GTT also joined the evaluation process.
The LNG carrier will have a cargo capacity of about 174,000 cubic meters and use a main engine supplied by MAN Energy Solutions.
MOL says vessels equipped with two Wind Challenger sails could reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 12% per voyage, depending on weather and operating conditions. The installation reflects growing interest in wind-assisted propulsion as shipping companies look for new ways to meet stricter environmental regulations and lower operating costs.
