Dutch chemical carrier owner Chemship has retrofit installed Econowind’s VentoFoils on Chemical Challenger, which has made its first port call with the sails at Saltends Chemical Park in the UK
In what is believed to be a first installation on a chemical carrier, the sails have been installed on 2025-built, 16,100-dwt stainless steel chemical carrier, Chemship Challenger, creating a direct wind surface of 180 m2.
The smart vacuum technology quintuples the force of the wind, creating a gross wind surface of 900 m2 - equivalent to an imaginary sail of 30 m by 30 m.
Chemship expects to achieve an average CO2 reduction of 10% with these turbo sails.
The retrofit installation timeline has been relatively short. In August 2023, the VentoFoils retrofit installation project completed the assembly of the foundations at the Econowind workshop in Zeewolde. The foundations were finetuned to ensure sightlines from the bridge and the blind sectors of the radars inline with the requirements of ClassNK.
In December 2023, the foundations were mounted on the deck in the Odessos shipyard, Varna, Bulgaria, then Chemical Challenger returned to the Netherlands to have the four 16-m aluminium Ventofoils wind sails installed on board the 134-m vessel.
With wind-assisted ship propulsion, Chemship chief executive Niels Grotz sees shipping returning to its roots. “As an avid sailor, I know the power of the wind. We will now harness this sustainable and free energy source on Chemical Challenger. Despite the fact that shipping already has the lowest carbon footprint of all transport modes, we can use wind to make our existing fleet even more sustainable.”
He added, “With the VentoFoils, we will use less fuel and thus reduce CO2 emissions. For this vessel, we anticipate an annual CO2 reduction of 850 tonnes. This is equivalent to the yearly CO2 emissions of more than 500 passenger cars.”
The emergence of wind-assisted sailing coincides with the introduction of the European Emissions Trading System for the shipping industry.
Mr Grotz explained, “Our customers increasingly demand CO2 reports. The better our ships perform, the higher the rating from our customers. Fewer emissions are not only beneficial for the environment, you will also notice it directly in your wallet.”
Chemship operations director Michiel Marelis explained the choice of wind propulsion, “Shipping is evolution: one step at a time. Chemship was looking for a solution that would not interfere with normal operations.”
“These wind sails were easy to install without adding reinforcements to the ship. They are lightweight, have a small deck footprint and do not obstruct the crew’s line of sight. At the push of a button, they can fold or set the sails as needed. Above wind force seven, the sails fold automatically, which is much safer. Now it is learning by doing. With positive results, we will also equip the next vessel with VentoFoils.”
Wind propulsion is part of a larger sustainability plan, as Mr Marelis explains, “The beauty of these turbo sails is that you can show it to customers. They immediately capture everyone’s imagination. We hope this will inspire others to choose wind-assisted propulsion too.”
He added, “We also focus on less visible aspects such as improved lubricating oils and a coating that enables the ship to glide through the water more efficiently. Cumulatively, this leads to fuel savings of over 15%. This all goes hand in hand with a CO2 reduction. Chemship remains committed to making the fleet more sustainable.”
Chemical Challenger serves on the Europe to North America circuit and in March 2024, the Saltend Chemicals Park welcomed the vessel, which collected ethyl acetate produced by INEOS Acetyls.
The tanker docked at Saltend’s deepwater jetty, which provides direct access to the Humber River. The deepwater jetty is a crucial part of the infrastructure on site and is a key differentiator between px Group-owned Saltend and other industrial parks in the UK.
Saltend Chemicals Park is owned and operated by the px Group, whose chief executive Geoff Holmes said, “We were delighted to welcome Chemical Challenger to Saltend. We are passionate about cutting CO2 emissions in as many ways as possible, as are the host of world-leading manufacturers on site.”
Port agency manager at Casper Ltd’s Saltend office, the vessel’s UK agents, which looks after 95% of the vessels calling at Saltend, Gavin Hoe-Richardson added, “We are proud to be able to act on the shipowners’ behalf and be linked with such a forward-thinking company which is eager to reduce its carbon footprint by investing in innovative technology of the future.”
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