Moscow, October 25 - Neftegaz.RU. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that it held a ceremony the maiden port of call in Newcastle, Australia of the SHOFU MARU, the world’s first coal carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger (a hard sail wind power propulsion system), which was delivered on October 7.
The Australian government has set a decarbonization policy to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and local port officials in Newcastle have high expectations and interest in the SHOFU MARU, which contributes to decarbonization while transporting energy resources that support people's lives.
The ship received a warm welcome to the port from concerned parties representing both Australia and Japan to take on its first cargo.
MOL works closely with the Australian energy industry and port authorities to achieve both stable fuel transport and a reduction in environmental impact.
The Wind Challenger is a system, developed mainly by MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding, which uses a telescoping hard sail that harnesses wind power to propel the vessel.
By installing the system, it is possible to reduce the amount of fuel used for operation, which is expected to reduce environmental impact and improve economic efficiency.
The introduction of the Wind Challenger is expected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions about 5% on a Japan-Australia voyage and about 8% on a Japan-North America West Coast voyage, compared to a conventional vessel of the same type, and contribute to curbing GHG emissions during fuel transportation.
