The WindWings fixed wing sail system, developed as part of the EU-supported CHEK project coordinated by the University of Vaasa in Finland, has brought together 17 specialized partners. By combining innovative energy technologies, operational systems, propulsion, and drag reduction, CHEK has successfully pioneered this groundbreaking technology. The five-year-old bulk carrier Pyxis Ocean, chartered by shipping firm Cargill, is the first vessel to be retrofitted with WindWings, large wing sails that harness wind power to reduce carbon emissions.
The installation of the WindWings took place at the COSCO shipyard in China, and Pyxis Ocean is now on her maiden voyage to Brazil, garnering worldwide media coverage. BAR Technologies developed the sails, built by Yara Marine Technologies, and they are expected to generate average fuel savings of up to 30% on new build vessels, further reducing shipping's carbon footprint. Jan Dieleman, the president of Cargill’s ocean transportation business, emphasized the maritime industry's exciting journey to decarbonize.
Shipping, responsible for up to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of world commerce, faces increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. The installation of WindWings represents years of pioneering research and a shift in attitudes towards technologies that can enable energy transition for existing vessels. WindWings offers a retrofit solution capable of decarbonizing existing vessels, relevant to 55% of the world’s bulker cargo fleets that are up to nine years old.
John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies, highlighted the substantial opportunity for reducing emissions and efficiency gains in vessel operating costs through wind, a near marginal cost-free fuel. Wind was once a common way to propel ships before steam and diesel engines but is now mostly used for smaller vessels. This maiden voyage with WindWings will provide the first real-world test and an opportunity to explore whether a return to traditional wind propulsion could be the future for commercial shipping.
