A new 49-page white paper from DNV shows the strong take-up of wind assist propulsion systems (WAPS) in the 2020s, and how this fuel-saving tech could develop in the coming years.
Wind-assisted propulsion has already delivered annual fuel savings of between 5% and 20% for certain ships, the white paper claimed.
There has been a rapid uptake of WAPS in the global fleet since 2021, with 52 seagoing ships now in operation and 97 newbuilds with WAPS in the orderbook as of January 2025, plus many more ships earmarked for retrofitting. Currently, 75% of the WAPS fleet are retrofits.
For bulkers and tankers, today’s dominant WAPS technologies are rotor sails (54%), while for general cargo ships the dominant technology is suction sails (67%). In total, rotor sails make up almost 50% of the current overall uptake.
A tenfold increase is expected by newbuilds between 2024 and 2025, with high numbers also in the current orderbook for 2026 and 2027, DNV data shows.
In the longer term, DNV posits it is possible so-called “wind corridors” will emerge potentially operated by autonomous and unmanned ships. These future vessels could eliminate the ship’s bridge, decreasing wind resistance while having a smaller crew would reduce auxiliary energy demand, and with fewer onboard facilities required to support the crew, this would also saves space and weight.
“Transitioning towards 100% wind-powered vessels on promising routes would require significant change in the current practice of operating on direct routes at high speed and may not suit all cargo types, such as certain types of perishable goods,” the class society advised.
Energy News Beat