Sailing Towards Sustainability: MOL’s Innovative Wind Challenger Project
CG rendering of the Kurotakisan Maru Ⅲ equipped with the Wind Challenger | Image: MOL
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has set sail on a pioneering journey towards sustainability, as it announced today a groundbreaking collaboration with Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-Power) to install the Wind Challenger hard sail wind power propulsion system on the coal carrier Kurotakisan Maru Ⅲ.
Scheduled for completion in the second half of 2025, this initiative marks the first installation of the Wind Challenger on a vessel currently in service through retrofitting. The Wind Challenger, designed to harness wind energy and convert it into propulsive force, is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 5% on a Japan-Australia voyage and 8% on a Japan-North America West Coast voyage, compared to conventional vessels of the same type.
This move aligns seamlessly with MOL’s ambitious environmental goals, including achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as outlined in the “MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2.” With plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030, scaling up to 80 by 2035, MOL is committed to leading the charge towards a low-carbon society. By leveraging wind-assisted energy-saving technologies, MOL aims to make significant strides in reducing GHG emissions and fostering a sustainable future for generations to come.
