MOL names world's first LNG carrier fitted with rigid sails

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines named the world's first liquefied natural gas carrier fitted with rigid wind sails on Sept. 10, completing construction at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard in South Korea.

The vessel, named Fujin Sailor, carries 174,000 cubic meters of fuel in membrane tanks. It is the first commercial vessel of any type to mount two units of the Wind Challenger sail system.

Chevron will take delivery of the carrier under a long-term charter contract in late September. Molly T. Laegeler, president of Chevron's supply and trading business, served as godmother during the ceremony in Geoje.

The carrier is the fourth ship in the fleet of Tokyo-based MOL to install the rigid sail system, the company said. The Japanese shipowner has committed to installing the sails on 11 vessels across its operating fleet.

MOL plans to expand its wind-assisted fleet to 25 vessels by 2030, according to its fleet roadmap. The company aims to operate 80 wind-assisted ships by 2035 as it works toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Fujin Sailor measures 294.9 meters in length overall and 46.4 meters in beam. The hull incorporates membrane cargo containment, which integrates insulated cryogenic tanks directly into the inner structure of the vessel.

A low-pressure dual-fuel ME-GA engine supplies primary propulsion to the vessel. The engine burns boil-off gas from the liquefied cargo alongside conventional marine fuel to turn the main propeller.

The two Wind Challenger sails stand near the bow of the ship. Each sail uses a three-tier telescoping design built from fiber-reinforced plastic, reaching a maximum height of 49 meters and a width of 15 meters.

The automated rigid sails rotate to catch offshore winds, converting aerodynamic lift into supplemental forward thrust. When entering ports or encountering severe headwinds, the sails retract into their lower sections to reduce air resistance.

Hanwha Ocean equipped the vessel with an air lubrication system that blows microbubbles along the flat bottom of the hull. The microbubble layer cuts frictional resistance between sea water and the steel plating.

The vessel also carries a shaft generator coupled to the main propulsion shaft. The generator uses main engine rotation to generate electricity for onboard systems, reducing auxiliary diesel generator runtime.

Mounting rigid sails on an LNG carrier presented unique engineering hurdles for shipbuilders. Traditional sail installations risk obscuring navigational sight lines from the bridge and can interfere with loading arms at cryogenic export terminals.

MOL, Hanwha Ocean and Chevron positioned the two sails near the forward section to preserve the standard mooring arrangement. This placement avoids modifications to terminal loading manifolds and ship-to-shore safety links.

The installation also required structural assessments of the liquefied cargo tanks beneath the deck. Dynamic forces and vibrations generated by wind thrust on the 49-meter masts transfer mechanical stress into the surrounding deck beams.

French engineering firm Gaztransport & Technigaz, which holds patents on the membrane containment technology, evaluated the structural stresses. The firm confirmed that the tank insulation barriers fully maintain structural safety, according to ClassNK records.

Japanese classification society ClassNK issued an approval in principle for the design in August 2024. The approval verified that the twin-sail arrangement complied with international maritime safety standards and collision regulations.

Chevron signed the commercial contract to equip the newbuilding with the dual Wind Challenger sails in September 2024. The agreement followed earlier trials of the system on bulk carriers and coal vessels.

The shipping industry faces tightening carbon limits under the International Maritime Organization. The United Nations agency requires international fleets to trim emissions intensity and is drafting global pricing mechanisms on bunker fuels for adoption in 2027.

Existing vessels face annual operational efficiency ratings under the Carbon Intensity Indicator. Carriers that fail to meet tightening efficiency thresholds face commercial penalties or must slow steaming speeds to reduce fuel burn.

Wind assistance offers shipowners a way to lower fuel consumption without reducing cargo delivery speeds. Long-distance transpacific and Atlantic LNG routes offer consistent wind conditions that maximize the fuel savings of hard sails.

MOL Global Ship Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of MOL based in Singapore, will oversee technical management of Fujin Sailor. The management unit will supervise crew training and automated sail operations at sea.

Chevron operates major LNG production facilities in Australia and exports volumes from the United States Gulf Coast. The American energy producer plans to deploy Fujin Sailor across its global delivery routes.

The companies did not disclose the charter rate, the charter duration or the total contract value of Chevron's long-term agreement for the vessel.

Hanwha Ocean will deliver Fujin Sailor to MOL at the end of September. The vessel will begin its maiden commercial voyage for Chevron immediately following the handover in Geoje.