Renaissance of sailing ships
Freighter gets wings – “Berge Olympus” is equipped with four WindWings
This is how the “Bereg Olympus” will sail in the future.
© Berge Bulk / PR
The freighter “Berge Olympus” is currently only moving forward with its diesel. Four wind blades will be installed on the ship. The WindWing system is intended to massively reduce emissions from ships.
Until the 20th century, cargo ships used winds to cross the seas. The “Mountains Olympus” is intended to build on this tradition. The bulk carrier will be equipped with four “sails”. The modern descendants have little in common with the square sails of yesteryear. They are more like vertically positioned wings.
The four WindWings from Yara Marine Technologies will harness the power of the wind, significantly reducing the ship’s fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The ““Berge Olympus” is not a pure sailing ship, the wings are used as auxiliary propulsion. Each wing is 20 meters wide and has a height of 37.5 meters – together all four have 3000 square meters of sail area. The “Berge Olympus” is supposed to carry six tons of fuel Save a day. This corresponds to 20 percent less consumption. If necessary, the sails can be “rolled up” in width and placed on the deck.
Significant savings potential
James Marshall, CEO of Berge Bulk, said of the plans: “At Berge Bulk we are constantly striving to increase our efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of our existing fleet. From 2008 to today we have had a remarkable reduction in our CO2 emissions per tonne mile by 46 percent, already exceeding the IMO’s 2030 target for reducing carbon emissions.”
Yara Marine Technologies’ WindWing system is currently considered a leader in sailing technology. Dragons have been experimented with for a long time. In principle, they offered many advantages. They can be caught in storms and under bridges. They require fewer installations on board and can be easily replaced. However, they have not proven successful in practice. The WindWing design has already had its baptism of fire. These wind blades are also installed on the M/V “Pyxis Ocean”. The 80,000-ton bulk carrier has completed its maiden voyage from Shanghai to Singapore. The ship was built by MC Shipping, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp., and chartered by Cargill (“Pyxis Ocean”: The world’s first wind-powered freighter sets off on its maiden voyage). Two wind blades were installed on the “Pyxis Ocean”, on the “Berge Olympus” there will now be four.
Retrofitting the inventory
The “Berge Olympus” was not designed for wind blades. It has been in service since 2018 and will be retrofitted. The great potential of WindWings lies in making existing ships more climate-friendly. Thomas Koniordos, CEO of Yara Marine Technologies, said: “Wind-assisted propulsion has the potential to provide immediate long-term solutions to shipping’s path to net zero.” In addition to the WindWings, the “Berge Olympus” was equipped with a wave generator powered by the ship’s main engine. This means there is no need for additional auxiliary engines to generate electricity at sea.
Sources:mountains bulk, Yara Marine
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