Wind Propulsion Conference Set for Webb Institute

MarineLink October 22, 2021

What: Natural Propulsion in Ship Design
When: November 16, 2021
Where: Webb Institute, Glen Cove, NY (broadcast live)
Hosts: Webb Institute, Marin Institute, and Wind Support NYC

A new conference on the use of natural propulsion in the global shipping industry will take place in New York on November 16, 2021, hosted by Webb Institute in Glen Cove, NY, and broadcast live.

The conference aims to introduce to the audience the design of hybrid merchant ships capable of harnessing free and renewable energies available onboard – wind, solar and hydro – to improve vessel efficiency, independent of the fuel or type of engine used.

Vessel efficiency needs to be improved, carbon intensity (CII) reduced to remain in compliance with upcoming IMO regulations and one method is clear: near-zero emission shipping is possible today using wind propulsion.

Marin Institute will deliver an overview of the context of decarbonization of the shipping sector, as well as an academic course introducing aerodynamics, hydrodynamics concepts, and sailing performance assessment to both students and external guests.

Dr. Sergio Perez, PhD, professor of marine engineering at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, will set the stage for the afternoon: he will present an update of a 1975 MARAD (U.S. Maritime Administration) report which concluded that commercial ships using sail power were not economically viable when compared with engine-powered vessels.

The 2021 update concludes that it is economically smart to use sail at this point as a principal means of propulsion, with one issue to be resolved: the size of the vessel and especially the height of the mast.

Directly answering Dr. Sergio Perez questions, industry leaders will present the technologies currently available and capable to address the issues raised by Dr. Perez in his 2021 update.

Confirmed speakers include: