MOL to install WAPS on an LNG Carrier

Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) will install a hard sail wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) on a newbuild LNG carrier.

PHOTO: A concept of the WAPS system on an LNG carrier. MOL

The vessel will be the world’s first LNG carrier to be equipped with WAPS, MOL claims. 

MOL has signed an agreement with the US-based Chevron Shipping to install WAPS on the carrier. Once operational, the vessel will be placed under a long-term charter to Chevron Shipping.

The LNG carrier is currently under construction at the Geoje Shipyard of the South Korean shipbuilding firm Hanwha Ocean and is slated for delivery in 2026. 

WAPS technology is based on active boundary layer control using suction. When switched on, the system will suck in air to re-adhere the airflow towards the sail to help in propulsion.

By Manjula Nair

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