Wind power to propel coal carrier

Construction of Wind Challenger will start at Oshima Shipbuilding with operation scheduled to begin in 2022. Compared with a conventional vessel of the same class, Wind Challenger is expected to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by about 5% on the Japan-Australia route and about 8% on the Japan-North America West Coast route. More verification tests on the system’s GHG reduction effects will be conducted before the new carrier begins operation.

The 99,000 tonne Wind Challenger has an LOA of around 235m and breadth of 43m. She has a telescoping hard sail that converts wind energy to propulsive force, a technology that has the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption, minimising environmental impact and improving economic efficiency.

The vessel is the result of the ‘Wind Challenger Plan’, a joint industry/academia research project started in 2009 and led by The University of Tokyo. In January 2018, MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding took charge of the plan, now playing a central role. In October 2019, it acquired approval in principle for the design of a hard sail system.