MOL to develop energy-saving sail to boost ship propulsion

Japanese shipping heavyweight Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed an agreement with compatriots Oshima Shipbuilding and Iknow Machinery to jointly research and develop mounting sails on ships’ cargo handling cranes and similar equipment.

As disclosed, MOL plans to install the “Iknow Delta Sail Crane” to boost propulsion force.

Many MOL drybulk-operated vessels are equipped with cargo handing cranes, and the company plans to study the installation of the Delta Sail on a broad range of ship types, such as bulkers, wood chip carriers, and multi-purpose vessels.

The joint R&D project aims at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vessels while underway, by unfurling the sail placed on ship such as triangular parts of existing cargo handling cranes to use offshore winds to provide additional propulsion force.

Last month, the company announced that it plans to deploy net-zero emissions ocean-going vessels in the 2020s in line with its environmental vision of achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.

The company has launched five initiatives to achieve the targets, which will include:

• Adoption of Clean Alternative Fuels
• Enhancement of Energy-Saving Technologies
• Boost Operating Efficiency
• Building Business Models to Enable Net Zero GHG Emissions
• Expanding Low-Carbon and Decarbonization Projects through Use of the MOL Group’s Concentrated Strengths

Under the vision goals, the company plans to have around 90-LNG fueled vessels in 2030 and approximately 110 net-zero ships using alternative fuels in 2035.