Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced the completion of the Green Winds, a 63,896 DWT Ultramax bulk carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger hard sail wind power propulsion system. Built by Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., the vessel will be operated by MOL Drybulk Ltd.
The Green Winds is the second of nine MOL Group vessels to feature the Wind Challenger, which uses telescoping hard sails to convert wind energy into propulsive force, potentially reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-16%. MOL aims to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 and plans to equip 25 vessels with the Wind Challenger by 2030 and 80 vessels by 2035.
Vessel Outline:
- LOA/Breadth: 199.95m/32.26m
- Deadweight tonnage: 63,896 tons
- Registry: Panama
- Wind Challenger specs: Height up to 39.5m (3-tier), Width about 11.4m
Sailing Towards Sustainability: MOL’s Innovative Wind Challenger Project
MOL has established the “MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2” and has set the target of achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050. Among the key strategies to achieve this target are the ” further adopt energy-saving technologies,” and the group plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030 and 80 vessels by 2035.
| Ship Type/No. of Vessels | Related press release |
|---|---|
| 100,422 DWT Coal carrier / 1 (Delivered in Oct. 2022) | October 7, 2022: Delivery of Shofu Maru, World’s First Cargo Vessel equipped with ‘Wind Challenger’ Hard Sail May 15, 2024: Shofu Maru, World’s 1st Wind Challenger-equipped Coal Carrier, Achieves Fuel Savings of 17% |
| [This announcement] 63,896 DWT Ultramax bulk carrier / 1 (Delivered in July 2024) | August 10, 2022: MOL Signs Deal to Build 2nd Bulk Carrier Equipped with ‘Wind Challenger’ Hard Sail System |
| 89,999 DWT Coal carrier / 1 (Scheduled to be retrofitted in 2025) | May 24, 2024: Wind Challenger to Be Installed on Coal Carrier for J-Power -World’s 1st Retrofit on an In-service Vessel- |
| 42,000 DWT Handysize bulk carriers / 3 58,000 DWT Handymax bulk carriers / 3 (Scheduled to be delivered in 2026-2028) | May 27, 2024: Wind Propulsion Systems will be Installed on 7 Vessels Operated by MOL Drybulk – Steadily Pursuing ’25 Wind Challenger-equipped Vessels’ by 2030 – |
