A trio of Japanese companies has teamed up to commercialise rigid sails as a new energy-saving device for shipping.
Hiroshima-based shipbuilder Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, in partnership with Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding and Akishima Laboratories, will be developing a wing-shaped rigid sail to be used as an auxiliary propulsion device on ships.
According to Tsuneishi, the rigid sail device can be installed on existing vessels with minimal modification.
The shipbuilder will coordinate the entire development project, design work, and manufacturing of the sail while Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding will study the control system and sail shape. Akishima Laboratories will carry out a performance evaluation of the sail using CFD analysis and other methods.
The sail will be installed on an actual ship in 2026 and will go into commercialisation the following year.
Japan’s largest shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has also developed its own rigid sail wind propulsion system, in cooperation with Oshima Shipbuilding.
Last month it announced that it would be installing its Wind Challenger hard sail on seven dry bulk and multipurpose carriers. This will add to the four ships that already carry various forms of wind propulsion. MOL plans to launch 25 vessels equipped with Wind Challengers by 2030 and 80 vessels by 2035 making it among the world’s most committed investors in wind technology.
