Tsuneishi Shipbuilding installs WAPS on bulk carrier

Japan’s Tsuneishi Shipbuilding has partnered with French maritime technology company OceanWings to equip its bulk carrier Maria Topic with a wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS).

IMAGE: Bulk carrier Maria Topic equipped with a rigid sail. Tsuneishi Shipbuilding

The system features a single tiltable rigid sail, or wing sail, that harnesses wind power to generate additional thrust and reduce the vessel’s reliance on its main engine.

The Maria Topic retrofit was carried out with support from the European Union-funded WHISPER project under the Horizon Europe programme. The initiative brings together 13 partners across six European countries to develop and validate modular retrofit technology combining wind-assisted propulsion with renewable onboard energy systems to accelerate shipping’s decarbonisation.

Wind-assisted propulsion is gaining momentum as shipowners look for practical technologies to cut fuel consumption and emissions. By supplementing conventional engine power with wind-generated thrust, WAPS can improve vessel efficiency while reducing fuel use.

The latest project adds to a growing number of wind-propulsion deployments across the maritime sector. This month, German shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg partnered with Dutch wind-energy firm Econowind to install a WAPS on its general cargo vessel Hansa Drejoe. Norwegian marine transport company Odfjell has also expanded its fleet with a wind-assisted vessel, while Spanish technology firm bound4blue has installed a 22-metre-high rigid suction sail on a newly built multipurpose vessel (MPV).

By Tuhin Roy

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