Wind Propulsion Technologies News

Industry coalitions ZESTAs and the SASHA Coalition have announced a partnership to drive policy and industry action on green shipping technologies.The two coalitions, collectively representing 70 leading companies, have committed to combining their efforts to advocate for policy supporting absolute zero emission solutions combining hydrogen, battery-electric and wind propulsion technologies. Aurelia Leeuw, Director of EU Policy at the SASHA Coalition, said: “Pooling our expertise to drive maritime decarbonization, the SASHA Coalition and ZESTAs together are more than the sum of our parts.

RINA has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) for Blue Wasp Marine’s Pelican performance prediction software for wind-assisted ships.With this, Pelican has become the first software of its kind to have received class recognition.Pelican, the product of over 10 years of PhD research, is able to simulate the performance of a ship equipped with wind propulsion technologies using specific wind conditions and sea states. Pelican features a built-in force module for both aero- and hydrodynamics.

Anemoi Marine Technologies, a UK-based developer of rotor sails for the shipping industry, said it is enhancing its efforts to provide its technology for ship owners, managers and charterers to install onboard vessels as they look to decarbonize their operations.Anemoi offers a range of rotor sails, varying in height from 24 to 35m, suitable for installation and retrofitting on deep-sea vessels including bulk carriers, tankers, ferries, ro-ros, and multipurpose vessels. These…

An innovative kite system is being put through its paces on board a cargo ship crossing the Atlantic as wind propulsion takes off for commercial shipping as a means to reduce fuel burn and harmful environmental emissions.The system, called Seawing, has been developed by France-based Airseas, and is currently being trialed on the 154-meter ro-ro vessel Ville de Bordeaux, which is operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and chartered by Airbus, Airseas' minority shareholder and launch customer.As the ship transports aircraft components between Europe and the United States…

The latest installations of wind propulsion technology on large commercial vessels have tipped the amount of cargo that can be transported on vessels that make use of wind as a renewable energy source over the one million tonnes of deadweight (DWT) milestone.The timing of wind-powered ship propulsion passing this pivotal milestone comes in the same week that the industry celebrates World Maritime Day and its theme "New Technologies for Greener Shipping".In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in equipping vessels to harness the power of the wind.

As the maritime industry searches for technologies and energy sources that can deliver on upcoming decarbonization regulations from the IMO and EU and ultimately delivering zero-emissions shipping, the development and deployment of wind propulsion technologies have been making headlines that speak to a growing momentum. Today, sees the release of the report from a group of more than 40 experts and stakeholders that came together for a workshop to identify the strategy priorities for wind propulsion development in the near future…

Bureau Veritas (BV) has released new-generation classification rules for wind propulsion systems amid growing interest in and support for the development of zero carbon propulsion solutions for modern ships.Wind propulsion is among a number of options being examined and implemented by owners and operators who are today seeking ways to reduce air emissions from their vessels.The new BV rule notation for WIND PROPULSION SYSTEMS (WPS) – NR 206, builds on preexisting BV rules released…

Boomsma Shipping announced its general cargo vessel Frisian Sea has been fitted with wind-assisted propulsion units to help reduce the ship's fuel usage and emissions as the shipping industry continues work to reduce its environmental footprint. “We believe it is necessary and very important to meet sustainability challenges to reduce our environmental footprint. Together with the IMO decarbonization goals for 2050 we want to do our part to reduce our fuel consumption and CO2 emissions as soon as possible…

Maersk Pelican, the world’s first product tanker testing the use of wind propulsion technology, has been sold and delivered to its new owner, Maersk Tankers confirmed without revealing the name of the ship's new owner.Norsepower rotor sails were installed on board the 245-meter, 109,647 dwt Maersk Pelican in 2018 and over a one-year test period, it showcased an 8.2% drop in fuel consumption and emissions, as confirmed by Lloyd's Register.“This vessel was special to us,” said Tommy Thomassen, chief technical officer at Maersk Tankers.

Wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower said it has secured a contract to install five tilting rotor sails on board a large bulk carrier for an anonymous shipowner, marking the Finnish company's first installation aboard a newbuild vessel. Preparations are currently underway with the installation scheduled to take place in 2021.Norsepower’s fuel-saving rotor sail auxiliary propulsion solution, which can be installed on new vessels or retrofitted on existing ships, is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor…

The WASP (Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion) project, funded by the Interreg North Sea Europe program, part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to the tune of €3.4 million has been officially approved and launched.The project brings together universities, wind-assist technology providers with ship owners to research, trial and validate the operational performance of a selection of wind propulsion solutions thus enabling wind propulsion technology market penetration and contributing to a greener North Sea transport system through harvesting the regions abundant wind potential.This fully aligns with the wider programs’ objective of promoting the development and adoption of products…

The classification society ABS and Netherlands based research institute MARIN have launched a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to investigate transparent and validated methods to assess performance of wind-assisted shipping propulsion technologies.The wind propulsion technology is a key driver in owners/operators investment decision-making.The JIP focuses on the majority of all marketed wind-assisted ship propulsors, while also aims to overcome the challenge to the uptake of these technologies by:- Improving methods for transparent performance prediction.- Using the improved methods to provide ship owners/operators with fast predictions…

In examining the history of commercial ships, the common refrain is “from sail to steam to diesel.” If the International Windship Association (IWSA) is right, that common refrain one day could be “from sail to steam to diesel … to sail.”As the collective maritime industry struggles to find a future proof propulsion system to meet ever stricter environmental emissions mandates from the IMO, serious talk and research is being paid to alternative technologies such as wind propulsion.

The shipping industry is set on a serious decarbonization course and the search is on for credible, viable and cost-effective solutions to meet the IMO’s initial strategy challenge to peak GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible and to reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008.Wind propulsion technologies can help cut fuel costs significantly, make vessels compliant with existing and impending emission regulations…

The Wind Propulsion Innovation Awards were created by the International Windship Association (IWSA) to honor the pioneers of technological innovation in wind propulsion striving to support the shipping industry to decarbonizes whilst maintaining commercial and operational performance. The IWSA Awards sought to spotlight both individuals and companies making a significant difference in advancing wind propulsion in the maritime sector. In July some 40 nominations were received at IWSA headquarters. These were assessed and shortlisted by a panel of experts drawn from across the shipping sector.

Dagmar Nelissen, Senior researcher and consultant at CE Delft, will present the preliminary findings of the EU DG Clima study ‘Analysis of market potentials and market barriers for wind propulsion technologies for ships’, at next week’s Natural Propulsion Seminar. The study’s general objective is to aid the European Commission in exploring how further support can be provided to ensure that wind propulsion technologies are deployed in the shipping sector. “The CO2 abatement measures…

Norsepower Oy Ltd. and Bore Ltd today carried out successful sea trial of Norsepower’s Rotor Sail Solution, a new wind propulsion technology for ships. The sea trials, verified by NAPA and supported by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, confirm fuel savings of 2.6% using a single small Rotor Sail on a route in the North Sea. With these fuel savings, the technology has a payback period of 4 years. Based on the trials, Norsepower and Bore believe that a full system on Estraden with two rotors has the potential to deliver 5% efficiency savings on an ongoing basis. Norsepower forecasts savings of 20% for vessels with multiple, large rotors traveling in favourable wind routes. The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution was installed on the 9,700 DWT Ro-Ro carrier MS Estraden.

An international association has been created to facilitate and promote wind propulsion for commercial shipping worldwide. The founding members of a new association for the shipping industry have announced the establishment of the International Windship Association (IWSA), an association that will encourage, advise and advocate for the use of wind propulsion technologies in the shipping industry. IWSA, established in the U.K. as an unincorporated, not-for-profit entity, will facilitate and promote the technology…