Oceanbird sailing system in new phase

“Those who innovate usually start small and scale up later,” says OceanBird’s board chairman Erik Nøklebye, “We started the other way around. That contributed significantly to the challenge, but also to the excitement.”

“I am very happy for our fantastic staff at Oceanbird, who have fought for this day for so long, and can now celebrate us reaching this milestone,” Nøklebye said at the test site of the new Oceanbird 250 system in Landskrona, Sweden. A 40-metre mast has been erected there as part of a stationary prototype installation. It will serve not only to test the system components, but also to train crews in their use. As it was mounted on the slewing ring on its foundation, the entire Oceanbird team and board held their breath. “It’s a bit unbelievable, but seeing is believing and soon it will be here.”

Application gets closer

Swedish Oceanbird began in 2010 as an initiative of Norway’s Wallenius Wilhelmsen, with the aim of reducing emissions in shipping. The sail system developed within this project has since gone through several design stages. Now the actual application of this technology is one step closer.

The installation went according to plan and the very next day the mast was hoisted and testing of the complete control system and hydraulic system with the mast attached began. The next step is to install composite materials and the flap (the smaller segment of the wing sail) and then test the complete wing sail.

At the same time, they are working on a marine prototype that will be installed on the roro ship Tirrannia. The foundation of the system has already been installed during the five-year docking in China. Installation of the sail system itself is scheduled for mid-2025.

Source and image: Oceanbird.

Windassist sponsor