Wind propulsion system to boost energy efficiency of Mitsubishi bulk carrier

Norwegian marine technology firm Yara Marine claims its wind propulsion system can reduce a ship's fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30%.

PHOTO: Model of Mitsubishi's Pyxis Ocean with Yara Marine's WindWings system. Yara Marine

Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corporation’s bulk carrier Pyxis Ocean will be the first vessel to be retrofitted with two wind-assisted propulsion systems by Yara Marine.

The system combines dynamic multi-element wings with route optimisation to harness wind power.

The five-year-old 80,952 dwt Pyxis Ocean is chartered to commodity trader Cargill.

Yara Marine argues that as 55% of the global bulk carrier fleet is made up of vessels with up to nine years of age, the industry is in dire need of retrofits to decarbonise existing vessels.

If the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) gets extended to cover shipping, the cost of carbon dioxide emissions will increase substantially and add to operating costs, Yara Marine says.

“The pressure is on the ship-owning and chartering community to take proactive and material action to tackle the immediate and uprising challenges towards the energy transition on its existing vessels, and fast,” Mitsubishi Corporation Shipping Department’s general manager Takafumi Oka said.

Pyxis Ocean is expected to be retrofitted with the wind propulsion system by early next year.