MOL Announces Delivery of Bulk Carrier Green Winds,2nd Vessel Equipped with Wind Challenger Hard Sail Propulsion System
TOKYO—Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that on July 10, the Green Winds, a 63,896 DWT Ultramax bulk carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger hard sail wind power propulsion system (Note 1), was completed at Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (President: Eiichi Hiraga; Headquarters: Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture). MOL Group company MOL Drybulk Ltd. (President: Makoto Yamaguchi; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) will operate this new vessel.
This is the second of a total of nine MOL Group vessels that have been or will be equipped with the Wind Challenger(Note 2), and the world’s first crane vessel equipped with the Wind Challenger.
The Wind Challenger is a device developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding that converts wind energy to propulsive force using telescoping hard sails. With the Wind Challenger, the vessel is expected to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 7%-16%, depending on the ship route and other conditions*.
*Fuel savings and GHG reductions achieved by the Wind Challenger depend on the ship type, route, and other conditions of the vessel on which it is installed.
![](https://www.moldrybulk.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Green-Winds-1.jpg)
![](https://www.moldrybulk.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Green-Winds-4-1024x283.png)
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.
MOL Group is proactively expanding its environmentally friendly fleet, which combines wind propulsion technology, such as the Wind Challenger, across a wide range of ship types, and through safe management and efficient operation, it will not only reduce GHG emissions from its own group companies, but also contribute to the decarbonization of society as a whole.
〈Outline of the vessel〉
LOA/Breadth | 199.95m/32.26m |
Deadweight tonnage (at summer full load draft) | 63,896 tons |
Registry | Panama |
Wind Challenger specifications | Height: Up to about 39.5 m (3-tier) Width: About 11.4 m Sail material: Fiber Reinforced Plastic |
(Note 1) For details, please refer to Wind Challenger | MOL Service Site (mol-service.com/en/).
(Note 2) Wind Challenger-equipped vessels in order of delivery (planned)
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 – |
MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues
MOL Group identifies “Sustainability Issues” (Materiality) as our key issues for sustainable growth with society through realization of the Group Vision.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute especially to the realization of “Environment -Conservation for Marine and global environment-” and “Innovation -Innovation for development in marine technology-.”
![](https://www.moldrybulk.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image-2.png)
For further information, please contact:
MOL Drybulk Ltd.
ICT Communication Team Mail: dbict@molgroup.com