Mitsui O.S.K. Lines held a naming ceremony on 10 September 2026 at Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd.'s Geoje Shipyard in South Korea for the world's first liquefied natural gas carrier fitted with the Wind Challenger hard sail system, the company announced. The newbuilding is equipped with two Wind Challenger units and is scheduled for delivery under a long-term charter to Chevron in late September 2026.
The announcement issued by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said the ceremony took place at Hanwha Ocean's yard on Geoje Island, where the vessel reached the stage warranting a formal naming. The company described the ship as the first LNG carrier to be built with two units of the Wind Challenger system fitted alongside conventional machinery.
The propulsion units installed are identified as Wind Challenger hard sails, a wind-assisted propulsion system. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines noted that the vessel was delivered from Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd.'s Geoje Shipyard following the fitting of the two Wind Challenger units and the formal naming event.
The vessel is due to enter service under a long-term charter to Chevron, with delivery staged for late September 2026, the company confirmed. The charter arrangement will see the ship operated under the terms agreed between the owners and the charterer once handover from the yard is complete.
Construction and naming
The naming ceremony on 10 September 2026 took place at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje Shipyard in South Korea, where the ship was constructed and completed. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced the event and provided the timing and location of the ceremony as part of its statement to the market.
Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd.'s Geoje facility was reported as the site where the Wind Challenger units were integrated into the new LNG carrier. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said the yard had completed the necessary work that led to the naming ceremony and final preparations ahead of delivery.
Propulsion fit and commercial plans
The ship is described as carrying two Wind Challenger units, specified as a hard sail wind-assisted propulsion system. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines identified the installation of these two units as a distinguishing feature of the newbuilding and confirmed that the ship is the first LNG carrier to be delivered with that particular arrangement.
Commercially, the vessel will enter service under a long-term charter to Chevron following delivery late in September 2026. The timeline given places the handover and the start of the charter within the final days of the month, according to the company's announcement published 10 September 2026.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' statement was carried by reports on 10 September 2026, which reported the naming ceremony and the details of the propulsion fit and the planned charter to Chevron. The reporting set out the date of the ceremony, the builder's yard and the schedules cited by the company in its announcement.
The event marks a commercially significant milestone for the parties named in the announcement, with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Hanwha Ocean confirmed as the principal company actors in the construction and naming, and Chevron identified as the long-term charterer awaiting delivery. No further technical specifications or the vessel's name were provided in the announcement reviewed, which limited the public detail to the installation of the two Wind Challenger units, the location of the ceremony and the planned delivery timing.