The MT Chemical Challenger, the world’s first chemical tanker ship to be equipped with rigid aluminium ‘sails’, has left Rotterdam on its maiden journey.

Chemship’s 16,000-tonne tanker aims to reduce its fuel consumption with the assistance of four 16m-high aluminium sails, which more closely resemble aircraft wings than conventional sails. It is hoped that this will cut fuel consumption by 10 to 20%, with an annual reduction of 850 tonnes of CO2.

The Chemical Challenger will undergo trials during its first journey, which ends at Istanbul.

“Today, we launch the first wind-assisted chemical tanker, which we hope will serve as an example to the rest of the world,” Chemship CEO Niels Grotz told AFP at the ship’s unveiling.

The vast majority of international shipping is powered by oil-based fuels – in 2022, the sector accounted for 2% of energy-related carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency.

Although this is considered a hard-to-abate sector, in 2023 the International...