Wind Propulsion News

Wallenius Marine is conducting advanced wind tunnel tests aimed at realising the world’s first wind-powered pure car and truck carrier (PCTC).The tests are being carried out in Gothenburg, Sweden, at one of Europe’s most advanced wind tunnels, with wind speeds of up to 250 km/h.Wallenius Marine is gathered with experts from RISE KTH, and Oceanbird in Gothenburg for a series of tests that will confirm the design and contribute to the development of new data simulation models for wind-powered ships.The tests are being conducted by RISE Maritime Department (formerly SSPA)…

WindWaves will manufacture, sell and deliver BAR Technologies’ new 20m and 24m WindWings® wing sails in Europe. In February this year the two companies announced a similar deal for the larger 37.5m WindWings.WindWaves will manage the value chain of procurement and construction of 20m and 24m WindWings and their installation at shipyards across Europe. Additionally, WindWaves will manage the servicing of WindWings during their operational life cycle, alongside crew training on…

Spanish wind propulsion systems supplier bound4blue has secured a major retrofit contract with Maersk Tankers, which includes the installation of 20 eSAIL wind assisted propulsion systems on five tankers.bound4blue’s type approved eSAIL suction sails are to be installed on Maersk's tankers in 2025 and 2026.Maersk identified the eSAIL as a solution of choice in partnership with green technology catalyst Njord, who assessed and evaluated a broad range wind-assisted propulsion systems…

A subsidiary of Klaveness Combination Carriers ASA (KCC) has finalized an agreement with Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. and Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. to incorporate its first-ever Wind Assisted Propulsion System (WAPS), featuring two bound4blue eSAIL suction sails, on the third CABU III newbuilding.Slated for delivery in Q3 2026, the newbuild will be among the first tanker/dry bulk ships to utilize bound4blue’s WAPS technology, and the two eSAIL units will be the tallest suction sails installed to date…

Amasus has signed a fresh eSAIL (suction sail) contract with Spain’s bound4blue. Under the new agreement, a 22-meter unit will be retrofitted on a 90-meter, 3,000 dwt vessel at Astander Shipyard in Santander, scheduled for mid-2025. The installation will set a new benchmark as the largest suction sail system on a general cargo vessel.Amasus sealed the deal with bound4blue after assessing the impact of its first suction sails on Eems Traveller, which has been sailing with two 17-meter eSAILs since July 2023.

NS United Kaiun Kaisha (NSU) and Vale have reached an agreement to install rotor sails from Anemoi Marine Technologies on 400,000dwt-type very large ore carrier (VLOC).The VLOC NSU TUBARAO has been engaged in a long-term transportation contract between NSU and Vale since its delivery in September 2020.A rotor sail is a device for obtaining propulsion by using the pressure difference generated around a cylinder by rotating a cylindrical sail installed on the deck. It is expected…

Singapore-based liner company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has released its Sustainability Report 2024 which indicates that it has achieved a 62% reduction in Scope 1 emissions intensity in FY2023 from a 2008 baseline.These efforts have yielded a 21% reduction in emissions intensity from 2018 to 2023.ONE has also received approval in principle for an ammonia dual vessel along with an investment in 12 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fueled vessels. The newly constructed container ships are slated for delivery in 2027.

Anthony Veder has retrofitted two sails on the ethylene carrier Coral Patula.With this installation by Econowind, Anthony Veder is the first company worldwide to install sails onboard a gas carrier. Later this year sister ship Coral Pearl will be equipped with two similar sails.The system is designed to work alongside existing engines, providing a boost in propulsion through the power of wind. The company anticipates fuel savings of around 5%, with the potential of more than 10% in optimal wind conditions.Björn van de Weerdhof…

Two mechanical sails have been installed on board Jumbo's heavy lift vessel (HLV) Jumbo Jubilee. The wind assisted ship propulsion (WASP) solution is the latest in a series of innovative technologies installed to the vessel in a bid to boost fuel efficiency and cut carbon.Jumbo is committed to advancing sustainable heavy-lift shipping with innovative energy-saving and decarbonization initiatives across its fleet, said Jumbo Maritime CEO Daan Kornneef.“At Jumbo, we believe that every step towards sustainability is crucial.

Classification society DNV has awarded Hanwha Ocean Type Approval Design Certification (TADC) for its innovative rotor sail technology, the first certification of a rotor sail approved for installation in hazardous zones in South Korea.The TADC confirms that Hanwha Ocean's Rotor Sail, designed with composite materials, is in line with DNV and international safety standards, guidelines and regulations and ready for practical application on commercial vessels. The certification process involved detailed design reviews and assessments…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Chevron Shipping Company, a subsidiary of oil and gas giant Chevron, have signed an agreement to install Wind Challenger to a newbuild LNG carrier, which will become world’s first LNG carrier equipped with wind-assisted propulsions system.The is under long term charter from MOL Encean to Chevron Asia Pacific Shipping, and is currently under construction at the Geoje Shipyard of Hanwha Ocean, scheduled for delivery in 2026.In August 2024, MOL obtained…

Wind-assisted propulsion systems developer Anemoi Marine Technologies has secured a Type Approval Design Certificate from classification society DNV for its Rotor Sail design.The Type Approval Design Certificate (TADC) validates that Anemoi's 5x35m Rotor Sail design complies with DNV's technical standard (ST-0511) for Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS).In May 2024, Anemoi's 5x35m Rotor Sail was installed on the DNV-classed bulk carrier Berge Neblina, owned by Berge Bulk,…

Becker Marine Systems introduced two new products at SMM which are designed to optimise vessel hydrodynamic performance: the Becker Daggerboard and the Becker Steering Gear.The Becker Daggerboard is an anti-leeway fin designed for ships equipped with modern wind- assisted propulsion systems (WAPS). When using WAPS, the desired thrust ahead components drive the ship. Depending on the wind direction, there can also be stronger or weaker lateral force components leading to leeway from the desired course.

Wind-assist company bound4blue’s eSAIL® has received Type Approval from DNV.The suction sail technology is fully autonomous and works by dragging air across an aerodynamic surface, generating propulsive efficiency. The simple, low weight and easy to install units significantly cut main engine loads, fuel use and emissions, says bound4blue.The technology is suitable for almost all shipping types and can be fitted as retrofits on a broad range of vessels, as well as newbuilds.It has already won contracts with shipowners and operators including Odfjell…

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract from Danish operator Tärntank to design and equip its eleventh hybrid chemical tanker, which will featured wind-assisted propulsion system.The latest contract brings the total of vessels order by Tärntank to 11, with the latest five featuring wind-assist technology.The new 15,000 dwt vessels are equipped with a range of Kongsberg Maritime technologies aimed at energy conservation and emission reduction.These hybrid tankers can operate on diesel…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has been awarded an approval in principle (AiP) by ClassNK for the design of a membrane LNG Carrier with Wind Challenger wind-assisted propulsion system.The AiP marks the world's first approval for an LNG carrier with a wind-assisted propulsion system, according to MOL, which developed the design of the system together with Hanwha Ocean.The LNG carrier that has obtained this AiP is capable of entering LNG terminals worldwide. It boasts cargo tank capacity of 174…

Kongsberg Maritime announced it has been awarded a further contract from Danish operator Tärntank to design and equip its 11th hybrid chemical tanker, which will be wind-assisted. This latest order brings the total of vessels ordered by Tärntank to 11, with the latest five featuring wind-assist technology.The new 15,000 dwt vessels are equipped with a range of Kongsberg Maritime technologies aimed at energy conservation and emission reduction. These hybrid tankers can operate on diesel…

NYK Bulkship (Atlantic) N.V. has installed two wind-assist VentoFoils on the bulk carrier NBA Magritte at the port of Rotterdam. The vessel is engaged in a long-term charter contract with Cargill (USA).This is the first time a unit of this type has been installed on an NYK Group vessel.Sitting on a 20-foot-long (approximately 6-meter) flat rack container with no walls, the VentoFoil has a 16-meter vertical wing that acts as suction sail which expects about five times as much force compared to no-suction versions…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has completed the construction of bulk carrier Green Winds, equipped with the Wind Challenger hard sail wind power propulsion system.The construction of the 63,896 DWT Ultramax bulk carrier was completed at Oshima Shipbuilding.MOL Group’s company MOL Drybulk will operate this new vessel.This is the second of a total of nine MOL Group vessels that have been or will be equipped with the Wind Challenger and the world's first crane vessel featuring that propulsion…

Shipowner Lomar, part of the Libra Group, announced it is working to develop autonomous, low- or zero-emission cargo vessels using large kite systems as the main method of propulsion.Lomar said its corporate venture lab, lomarlabs, has signed a collaboration agreement with maritime deep-tech start-up CargoKite for the project,. which aims to enable low or zero-emission transportation as the global shipping industry explores pathways to decarbonize.The CargoKite technology is a spin-off from Munich’s Technical University and will be further enhanced through the partnership…

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to design and a equip a 10th hybrid chemical tanker for Danish operator Tärntank.The new Tärntank vessels will reduce carbon emissions using a combination of clean technologies.The wind-assist technology will be installed on the latest four vessels ordered, and this feature alone is expected to reduce emissions by up to 19%. The new vessels will have an Energy Efficiency Design Index close to 40% below the 2025 Phase 3 requirements.The 15…

Wind assisted ship propulsion system company AYRO has introduced an expanded Wingsail portfolio designed to adapt to the cargo needs of ships of most types or size, and rebranded as OceanWings, with the announcement made at Posidonia 2024.The rebranding follows a successful design, manufacturing and commercialization phase over the past six years, bookended in 2023 by the launch and subsequent commercial operations of the Canopée RORO cargo ship, equipped with four fuel-saving OceanWings® Wingsails.The new product range ensures OceanWings are now available to most shipowners…

Berg Propulsion has won a contract to deliver the hybrid propulsion solution for three wind-assisted Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) Ro-Ro vessels.Following delivery by China’s Wuchang Shipbuilding from 2026 onwards, the innovative vessels will carry Airbus A320 Family jetliner subassemblies from France to the final assembly line in the United States.The ships have been designed by Deltamarin with the aim of halving fuel burn and CO2 emissions in transatlantic operations by 2030…