Wings for Ships Pre-Dev

WingTek is developing an innovative rigid Wingsail to accelerate the deployment of wind auxiliary propulsion on large commercial vessels, with the goal of reduced fuel use, costs, pollution and CO2 emissions.

The 55,000 commercial ships that make up the global shipping industry consume over 200M tonnes of fossil fuel each year, produce harmful gas and particulate emissions and generate 700M tonnes of CO2 annually, which is 3% of the global total. Fuel costs are currently very high, low sulphur fuels to reduce pollutants cost even more and new green CO2-free alternatives are not yet widely available.

As a result ship owners are experiencing significant economic and regulatory pressure to reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels and find ways of mitigating the cost of the more environmentally friendly alternatives.

Transitioning commercial shipping away from fossil fuels to satisfy these demands will require a mix of technologies to achieve emissions targets economically. It is here that wind assistance, used as "auxiliary propulsion" rather than primary propulsion, can play a significant and effective role.

Wind is widely available, free at the point of use & needs no new fuel infrastructure. It is inexpensive to use and produces no emissions. Its strength as an auxiliary propulsion system is allowing the main engine to run at lower speed, saving fuel whichever type is used, which reduces costs, pollutants and CO2 emissions.

This project will deliver a proof-of-concept, operational 1/40th scale model of a commercial vessel equipped using our novel "Wingsail" design in a multiple-unit configuration and undertake on-water testing.

This design is simple, robust and lightweight making it ideal for mass manufacture. It is self-powered, needing no power from the vessel, which means installation is straightforward and inexpensive. Most importantly, it is designed to ensure the vessel still meets the international Collision Regulations after installation.

The project will use a "fast-prototype" methodology, primarily off-the-shelf control electronic components integrated into a set of small 3D-printed scale models of the Wingsail. This will provide a platform on which to develop basic control and systems software sufficient for the ship model trials and demonstration.