Wind Challenger
Automatically controlled telescopic GFRP hard sail developed with Oshima Shipbuilding; first on Shofu Maru (2022).
Wind Challenger is a rigid wing sail made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic that extends, retracts and rotates automatically according to wind speed and direction, so no specialist crew skills are needed. On the first vessel, Shofu Maru (2022), MOL reports 5–8% fuel savings depending on route and up to 17% on individual days. It has since been fitted to Green Winds and Fujin Sailor and retrofitted to Kurotakisan Maru III. Designs with three or four sails have been approved for LNG and liquefied CO2 carriers.
Specifications
- Fuel saving pct min
- 5
- Fuel saving pct max
- 8
- Sail material
- GFRP