Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, announced MOL and Electric Power Development  have installed the Wind Challenger-a hard-sail wind propulsion system-on the Kurotakisan Maru Ⅲ, a coal carrier supplying J Power operations. This achievement marks the world’s first retrofit installation of the Wind Challenger on a vessel currently in service. This is MOL’s third Wind Challenger-equipped vessel, following the coal carrier Shofu Maru and the 64,000-DWT Ultramax bulk carrier Green Winds. The Kurotakisan Maru Ⅲ berthed at the Tachibanawan Thermal Power Station  on April 13, and at the Ishikawa Coal-Fired Power Station (Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture) on April 17

The Kurotakisan Maru Ⅲ has drawn attention in the shipping industry for contributing to decarbonization while fulfilling a vital role in energy transport that supports local communities. It received a warm welcome from local stakeholders upon arrival at its unloading ports. The vessel is scheduled to operate on a long-term contract to transport thermal coal from overseas to multiple regions where J Power operates power plants and related facilities.

MOL has set the target of achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 in the “MOL Group Environmental Vision: BLUE ACTION 2035 Phase 2.” One of the main actions to achieve this target is the “introduction of further energy-saving technologies,” and the group plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with the Wind Challenger by 2030, increasing to 80 by 2035.