The latest installations of wind propulsion technology on large commercial vessels have pushed the global fleet of cargo ships capable of harnessing wind energy beyond the 100-vessel milestone, representing over five million tonnes of deadweight (DWT) cargo carrying capacity, reports the International Windship Association.
The passing of this milestone marks a significant turning point in the uptake of wind propulsion in the commercial fleet. What was once widely viewed as a niche or historical form of ocean transport is now emerging as one of the fastest-growing practical decarbonisation solutions across multiple segments of the shipping industry.
These ships are fitted with over 230 individual wind propulsion systems, and collectively they are now saving over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The number of wind-powered ships is further boosted by 12 large cargo ships that are ‘wind-ready’ with infrastructure already installed on deck if, or when, full installation of a wind propulsion device is required, but these don’t feature in this headline number. Additionally, a fleet of dozens of smaller cargo ships, under 400GT are also utilising wind power, as are a number of traditionally rigged cruise ships and these are also not included in this tally.
After several years of renewed investment in technologies designed to capture the power of the wind at sea, deployment in the sector is accelerating, with the number of vessels roughly doubling year-on-year. The speed of the early market expansion underlines how quickly the technology is moving into the mainstream.
In May 2022, 21 large commercial vessels were using wind propulsion technologies, representing approximately 1 million DWT of cargo carrying capacity. Just four years later, that figure has increased almost fivefold. Included in that number are six primary wind ships, ranging from 80m to 220m in length, predominantly operating on wind. That number is also expected to grow substantially.
Several wind propulsion solutions are available to ship owners, including suction sails, rigid and semi-rigid wing sails, rotor sails, traction kites, and traditional soft sail systems.
Currently, the tanker and bulker sectors lead the field in the number of ships with wind propulsion systems installed. At the time of writing, 37 Tankers and 24 Bulk Carriers were equipped with the technology, plus 24 RoRo and RoPax vessels combined and 19 General Cargo ships.