First installation rigid sails on Japanese LNG tanker

Photos recently appeared of the first installation of rigid wind sails on an LNG tanker. South Korean company Hanwha Ocean is building the vessel on behalf of Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.

MOL, in collaboration with Japanese shipbuilder Oshima Shipbuilding Company, has brought the designs for a telescopic sail made of fibre-reinforced plastic to market and installed the first one on a coal carrier, which entered service in October 2022. The company has continued to apply the technology to newly built bulk carriers and has also retrofitted it on a ship.

In collaboration with Hanwha Ocean and ClassNK, MOL reported in 2024 that it had conducted a risk assessment that comprehensively evaluated factors such as sail placement, their impact on visibility, emergency procedures and other safety measures, to apply the technology to an LNG carrier. The company also worked with GTT (Gaztransport et Technigaz), which holds the patents on the technology for the LNG tanks, to evaluate the impact on the cargo tank due to the installation of the sails. As a result, ClassNK awarded MOL the first AiP (Approval in Principle) for the designs to add sails to LNG tankers.

The sails consist of three panels and, when fully unfolded, extend about 49 metres (160 feet) above the deck, near the bow of the vessel. Each panel is about 15 metres (49 feet) wide.
The ship is one of two vessels that MOL reported would undergo the first installations of wind sail technology.
It also announced in 2024 that it would install the sails on another LNG tanker, which will be operated by MOL under a long-term charter to Tokyo LNG Tanker Company.
The vessel is 295 metres (968 feet) long and has a capacity of 174,000 m³ of LNG. It uses an Everllence (MAN Energy Solutions) main engine.

Source: Maritime Executive.
Image: MOL

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