One ship type that has yet to embrace wind power could soon see sails installed.
Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has just received an approval in principle from ClassNK for the design of a membrane LNG carrier featuring two of MOL’s Wind Challenger sails.
Detailed design work is currently underway for a new LNG carrier ordered by MOL from Hanwha Ocean in South Korea, aiming for actual installation of the 49 m high hard sails.
To date, wind assist technology has been deployed most often on bulk carriers.
The Wind Challenger is a telescoping hard sail which MOL has developed in partnership with the University of Tokyo and Oshima Shipbuilding.