Companies team up on wind-assisted propulsion for LNG carrier

A group of Korean, British and Liberian companies have partnered to develop wind-assisted propulsion for a 174,000-cbm LNG carrier.

IMAGE: A wind-assisted propulsion system developed by BAR Technologies will be installed on a Cargill-operated vessel. BAR Technologies

The LNG carrier will be fitted with large, rigid sails that provide supplementary wind propulsion. The wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) will be developed by UK-based firm BAR Technologies.

Shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will develop the vessel concept. Classification society Korean Register (KR) and the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) will assess the technical, safety and regulatory requirements for installing the system on a vessel's upper deck.

KR will also consider granting an Approval in Principle (AiP) based on the outcome of the assessment, which is said could support the future commercial deployment of wind-assisted propulsion on LNG carriers.

Growing interest in WAPS

The use of wind-assisted propulsion in commercial shipping is gaining momentum, with several recent projects involving LNG carriers and other large vessel types.

Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) recently launched a WAPS-equipped LNG carrier at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard in South Korea.

Swedish shipping firm Wallenius Lines ordered a WAPS retrofit for an LNG-capable dual-fuel vehicle carrier, with installation scheduled for 2027.

Danish shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk selected UK-based Anemoi Marine Technologies to supply a rotor sail system for one of its container vessels.

By Konica Bhatt

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online