As part of the commitment to lower the carbon intensity of operations, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Chevron Shipping Company have announced an agreement to install Wind Challenger, a hard sail wind-assisted ship propulsion system developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding, to a newbuild 174,000m3 LNG carrier under long term charter from MOL Encean to Chevron Asia Pacific Shipping.
This is believed to be the first LNG carrier to be equipped with Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion Systems. The vessel is under construction at the Geoje Shipyard of Hanwha Ocean and is scheduled for delivery in 2026. In August 2024, MOL obtained an approval in principle (AiP) by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK) for Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion onboard LNG carriers. The 286m-long Chevron chartered vessel will be the first application of the technology under this certification. Two Wind Challengers will be fitted.
In addition to the robust 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. The installation position of the Wind Challenger aims to minimise impact on the existing design of membrane type LNG Carriers. It will enable the retention of the existing mooring arrangement without modification and thereby minimise impacts on ship-shore compatibility, together with limited impact on the vessel’s windage area.
Barbara Pickering, President Chevron Shipping Company, said: “We’re proud to partner with MOL in Wind Challenger’s industry-first LNG installation. This is another example of using novel approaches in hard-to-abate sectors to reduce carbon intensity in our LNG fleet.”
Takeshi Hashimoto, MOL President and CEO added: “With the understanding and cooperation 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. Achieving GHG reduction in the maritime transport of LNG, which is increasingly in demand worldwide as a transition fuel, is a very important mission for us. This project will undoubtedly be a significant milestone towards achieving ‘net zero GHG emissions by 2050’, a medium to long-term goal of the Mitsui OSK Lines Group, as stated in our ‘Environmental Vision 2.2’.”
Image: The Wind Challenger equipped LNG carrier (source: MOL)
