The Japanese shipping group Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) is set to delivery to Chevron its LNG carrier equipped with Wind Challenger under a long-term charter.
MOL has named the LNG carrier equipped with two units of Wind Challenger, hard sail wind-assisted propulsion system, at a ceremony held at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard in South Korea on September 10.
The vessel, named Fujin Sailor, will be delivered under a long-term charter contract to Chevron Corporation (Chevron) at the end of September 2026.
Molly T. Laegeler, president of Chevron’s Supply & Trading business, served as the vessel’s godmother and formally named the ship.
MOL said Fujin Sailor is the world’s first LNG carrier equipped with a wind-assisted propulsion system, the world’s first vessel of any type equipped with two Wind Challenger units, and the fourth of a total of eleven MOL Group vessels that have been or will be equipped with the Wind Challenger.
“FUJIN SAILOR represents the combined efforts of many and demonstrates how practical innovation can help reduce the carbon intensity of LNG transportation while supporting the safe and reliable delivery of energy around the world,” said Laegeler.
The vessel measures 294.9 meters in length and 46.4 meters in breadth. It is also fitted with an air lubrication system and a shaft generator as additional environmental mitigation devices.
MOL plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030, increasing to 80 by 2035, as part of its strategy to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
