Coal carrier with wind assist system starts operation

The Shofu Maru, a 100,000dwt coal carrier built by Oshima Shipbuilding, will transport thermal coal from Australia, Indonesia, and North America for Tohoku Electric Power Co.

The Wind Challenger system is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions about 5% on a Japan-Australia voyage and about 8% on a Japan-North America West Coast voyage, compared with a conventional vessel.

The Wind Challenger system was developed mainly by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding. It uses a telescoping hard sail with a height of up to 53 metres and a width of about 15 metres which is made of fibre reinforced plastic.

MOL has already decided to construct a second bulk carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger system and has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.