MOL, Chevron to install pair of hard sails on LNG carrier

 Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Chevron Shipping will install a pair of hard sails on the prow of an LNG carrier under construction at Hanhwa Ocean in South Korea, in a first for the gas shipping sector. 

Two Wind Challengers – the rigid, telescopic sails developed by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding – will feature prominently at the front of the ship when it delivers in 2026. 

The application of wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPSs) across a variety of vessel types is nearing a “tipping point” with deployment likely to increase rapidly, according to a new study from Lloyd’s Register, which notes that around 100 ships are now poised to benefit from a wide variety of different wind tech.