WASP

The ethylene tanker Coral Patula is fitted with two VentoFoils, wind-assisted propulsion elements, supplied by Econowind. Later this year, sister ship Coral Pearl will also be fitted with the same sails.

The application of wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) is nearing the tipping point for rapid adoption. However, Lloyd’s Register’s new report “Applying wind-assisted propulsion to ships” still sees some potential roadblocks ahead.

Last week, the installation of two Econowind mechanical sails was completed on Jumbo’s heavy lift vessel Jumbo Jubilee. This is the first time Ventofoils have been installed on a heavy lift vessel.

An innovative gas tanker for sea-river shipping that will serve the industry in Western Europe right down to its capillaries. Germany’s HGK Shipping comes up with the design for a cruising tanker, the Vanguard.

Thecla Bodewes presents a new workhorse: the Gadus. This is a 5600 dwt, diesel-electric powered, self-unloading dry cargo vessel, versatile and adaptable to future developments. Up front, there is room for additional wind propulsion.

MOL and Vale have equipped a Capesize bulk carrier with Norsepower rotor sails. This is the first of its kind, aiming to reduce fuel and greenhouse gas emissions by 6-10%.

We have already reported on the TOWT ships a few times and if you saw the ships under sail in pictures, they were artist impressions. Now it is real, the Anemos sails!

The RoRo vessel Tirranna from Wallenius Wilhelmsen is one step further to getting the first Oceanbird wing sail: the deck mount has been fitted.

Norsepower, a provider of mechanical sails for large vessels in Finland, has closed a new deal with Union Maritime Limited (UML) to equip its fleet of new product tankers with Norsepower Rotor Sails™.

Wind-assisted ship propulsion systems company AYRO has introduced a comprehensive Wingsail portfolio designed to meet the cargo needs of ships of most types and sizes. The new name is OceanWings.

BAR Technologies will equip 34 ships with WindWings for Union Maritime. This includes other ship components. An AeroBridge® superstructure should provide more efficiency and comfort for the crew.

The Wind Challenger reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about five per cent on a Japan-Australia voyage and by about eight per cent on a Japan-North American west coast voyage, compared with a conventional ship of the same type.

Marflet Marine becomes the first Spanish shipping company to use wind propulsion on a 182-metre-long and 32-metre-wide oil tanker.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and MOL Drybulk have announced that they will install wind propulsion systems, including the Wind Challenger, on a total of seven new-build bulk carriers and multipurpose vessels to be operated by MOL Drybulk.

At the SAFETY4SEA Hamburg Forum 2024, Gavin Allwright, secretary general of the International Windship Association (IWSA), gave a comprehensive exploration of wind propulsion and its crucial role in reducing shipping emissions.