An R&D Project Punched by the Scottish Government and Industry Leaders is Bringing Back Sailing
A new initiative is underway with support from the Scottish Government and industry leaders like Lloyd’s Register to study and develop modern wing sail technology able to be retrofitted to in-service merchant ships. The three-year project aims to demonstrate on a commercial ship by 2023 while managing the obstacles of deploying the technology.
Smart Green Shipping started in 2014; it has been developing its automatic sail systems alongside supporting digital routing software that evaluates the wind to harness its power and provide fuel and emissions reductions to the ship. According to the company, a feasibility study was realized in 2018 as part of the initiative to overcome the challenges of adopting the technology. Collaborating with the European Space Agency business incubation center in 2019, they additionally created digital tools to anticipate and enhance wind usage in shipping.
SGS did not offer specifics on the design; however, illustrations reveal that the sails might fold, compared to other concepts, adopted to minimize obstructions and disturbance with loading and unloading. The sails, when raised, would additionally pivot, optimizing propulsion.
A number of comparable projects are underway throughout the shipping industry studying the use of rigid sails to help propulsion. Thus far, rotors have been the leading technology deployed for wind-assisted propulsion, while numerous sails prototypes are also being researched. Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines working with the Oshima Shipyard, finished setting up a telescoping rigid sail on a bulker under construction. They intend to start tests and enter service by October of this year.
Diane Gilpin, founder of SGS: “Shipping has a long history of harnessing the power of wind, but digital technologies are allowing us to work towards making zero-emission vessels a reality.” She added: “Smart Green Shipping’s FastRig wing sail technology offers a financially and technically robust solution to help support shipping’s green transition.”
The key to efficiency
The project will start with initial FastRig wing sails tests at a land-based site at Peel Ports Hunterston Port and Resource Centre in partnership with Clyde-based expert engineering partner Malin. They also plan to develop the weather routing TradeWind system that generates route plans for wind optimization. The project will additionally deal with obstacles to wider industry uptake of the technology, with a host of digital, technological, and financing solutions. After successful land-based tests, a demo aboard a vessel is to be carried out by 2023.
Lloyd’s Register will take part in the project, building on its first review of the FastRig technology and its capability to enhance a ship’s powertrain. Tom Wolodarsky, Technical Authority for Wind Propulsion Systems, Lloyd’s Register, noting, stated that “We have successfully completed the first stage of Approval in Principle of the technology.” He added: “which can assist in providing assurance to the industry and demonstrate WAPS technology is a safe, viable option that follows well-established independent standards.”
Modeling assessments undertaken by SGS and the University of Southampton’s Wolfson Unit reveal that the systems could develop a minimum of 20% fuel savings and GHG reductions for retrofits, with as much as 50% fuel savings achievable for small and medium-sized new build ships. The company’s evaluation reveals that the FastRig technology may release on as many as 40,000 vessels in the international merchant fleet, mostly bulkers, and tankers.
The R&D project is being assisted with a roughly $6 million financing grant, consisting of $3.8 million from industry partners. Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic agency, is additionally supplying a $2.2 million grant.
Originally published by: The Maritime Executive
