Fleet-level orders picking up for wind-assisted propulsion technologies

Wind-assisted propulsion is moving from individual vessel installations and demonstration projects towards multi-ship orders, according to IWSA’s Secretary General.

Mr Allwright said shipowners were increasingly approaching wind propulsion as an investment for a fleet of vessels rather than making isolated vessel decisions. Citing a 34-vessel order by Union Maritime as the largest so far, Mr Allwright said five vessels from the order have been delivered with three more expected in the near-term, though some deliveries have been delayed by shipyard capacity constraints.

Although it controls more than a dozen dry bulk carriers and three offshore vessels, the UK-headquartered owner and operator is most active in the chemical tanker trade, and the wind-assisted propulsion contract covers 34 vessels in total, including 14 LR2 tankers, 12 chemical tankers and eight MRs. 

The contract means the diversified shipowner and operator will install wind propulsion across a third of its fleet and has pledged to invest in rigid sails with an equity investment in a wind-assisted propulsion technology developer.

Wind propulsion technology itself is also evolving. “We’re not just talking about one technology. We’re talking six, seven, and we’ve got to keep it open for new technologies coming out,” Mr Allwright said.

Technologies and materials from aviation, developed for drones, have joined wind turbine-related technologies and materials in the design and construction of wind-assisted propulsion systems. The innovations complement the extensive expertise from maritime, according to Mr Allwright, and help underpin the systems to broaden the range of options available to shipowners.

As an example, he pointed to a “turbo boosted wind sail” and a system adapted from technology developed for the aeronautical sector.

Drone technology, he added, is increasingly being incorporated into kite development, alongside AI in design and routeing optimisation and automation, describing the developments as part of a wider convergence between wind, digital and automated technologies.

The systems also have the potential of being deployed in a more modular approach. Mr Allwright said an MOL wingsail had been installed in a few hours, offering the theoretical option -- should owners or operators choose -- to move equipment between vessels, as needed, to match windy routes.

For the IWSA Secretary General, the next step for wind propulsion is for the market to view it as a standard set of equipment rather than an innovation story.“My aim is not to inspire. It’s to actually reach the inflection point where it’s just such a no-brainer,” for owners looking at options for newbuilds and retrofits, he said.

Standardisation of the technology is another area that could further accelerate deployment and reduce costs, he noted. In a positive move toward that end, China’s State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has begun incorporating some wind propulsion designs into its standard equipment list, Mr Allwright said, and noted that, in general, moving away from bespoke installations has the impact of lowering prices and speeding up installations.

As ordering picks up and the technology options build, manufacturing capacity, too, is expanding, Mr Allwright said. Wind propulsion producers now have “mid-hundreds capacity”, with Europe and China capable of each producing at a similar annual level, and individual Chinese factories offering potential capacities up to 250 systems, with the capability to fairly rapidly scale these production lines in the future.