Wind of a New Age/ Mitsui O.S.K. Lines_Channel JAPAN #31/2024

Executive Insight. Maritime transport is the bedrock of the global economy. There's one company that's been in the business for over 40 years, connecting countries around the world: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, or MOL of Japan. Eyeing the future, they're now charting the next era for the maritime transport industry. The key word: wind. A new age of the sailing ship is dawning. At the company's head office in Tokyo, we spoke to MOL President and CEO Takeshi Hashimoto.

I understand you've been working to achieve net zero emissions in your business. Would you talk to us about the ideas behind this initiative?

So what the company set its sights on was wind. Much like sailing ships of the past, vessels equipped with large sails and a wind-assisted propulsion system called Wind Challenger are already plying the high seas. But why the focus on wind?

Wind Challenger employs telescopic sails made of lightweight glass fiber reinforced plastic to ensure that vessels will not need to reduce the volume of cargo that can be carried. The orientation and shape are automatically controlled according to the wind direction and speed at sea. Additionally, various other technologies are combined, such as the weather routing system, which incorporates weather information to select the optimum route using wind to further reduce fuel consumption. The captain of the Wind Challenger equipped Shofu Maru explains the effectiveness of the technology.

When the sail expands, it catches the wind and produces power. So the ship is propelled by the engine in the back and also pulled from the front. I'm constantly impressed by the power that comes from the sails.

Won't equipping sails on cargo ships affect aspects such as maneuverability and safety?

Even when the sail is up, we can clearly see other ships on the surface. The angle is also automatically adjusted, so the sail didn't affect operations or make navigation any more difficult.

Australia, the port of call for the Wind Challenger equipped Shofu Maru. We spoke to the pilot who boarded the vessel in New South Wales.

The main concerns we had—two concerns with the Shofu Maru in terms of the sail—was, first, visibility, and second, the actual effect of the windage even when the sail was in the stowed position. The actual live port entry, we discovered there were no real issues at all. The visibility was good and it had negligible impact on the handling of the vessel. It was very exciting to see, and it's a blend of technology with a resource, the wind, that's been there forever. It's good to see, and I certainly hope it's the way of the future.

Based on the performance demonstrated by Shofu Maru, the first Wind Challenger equipped vessel, a second ship, Green Winds, was delivered in 2024. In 2026, it will also be installed for the first time on an LNG carrier, and by 2035, 80 vessels are scheduled to be fitted with Wind Challenger.

To achieve net zero emissions, MOL is taking on a variety of other challenges.

To further improve Wind Challenger, MOL is also pushing ahead with its Wind Hunter project to equip multiple sails on a single vessel. In the works is a brand-new hydrogen-producing vessel that automatically identifies and navigates routes with the best wind conditions, generating power from underwater turbines and converting it into hydrogen. Development is underway, with the vessel scheduled to enter service in 2030.

By combining various projects, MOL is aiming to achieve net zero emissions across the entire group. Company President Takeshi Hashimoto showed us a key site related to all of their initiatives.

What kind of facility is this?

Information difficult to ascertain aboard vessels is collected and centrally managed here. Staff with experience as ship captains carry out analysis and make assessments, contacting and coordinating with vessels as needed to support them from the ground. In addition, they developed a ship-to-shore digital platform called Focus, an integrated system. It utilizes up to 10,000 sensor data points from each of the 900 or so vessels in service across MOL. By collecting and analyzing detailed data from those vessels, they aim to monitor the propulsion performance of vessels to make operations more efficient, thereby reducing the environmental impact. Combined with data collected through Focus, enhanced coordination between vessels and a dedicated team established in the Philippines in 2022 have helped improve fuel efficiency by about 7% and reduce GHG emissions.

To achieve success in this challenge and ensure sustainable growth, MOL is aggressively investing in its future. One area it's focusing on is human capital. Right now, close to 900 vessels are operating around the world, carrying massive numbers of crew members. Securing human resources is vitally important.

In 2018, MOL opened a Maritime Academy in the Philippines. By training and recruiting top-caliber crew members, they aim to attain the highest level of safety in the world. And they are also building a work environment to attract and retain top talent.

This is a space to promote the well-being of crew members during long journeys, called Ikoi, meaning 'rest' in Japanese. It's where crew members can comfortably spend their time off from duties. Investments in the future also extend to the development of new technologies and innovation.

MOL is embarking on a quest to realize net zero emissions through various innovative initiatives. Powered by the wind, they're charting a course toward a new age in the maritime industry.