Wind-powered ro-ro project receives EU backing

The EU’s funding programme for research, Horizon Europe, has granted funds worth $9.7 million to a project that intends to build a wind-powered roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessel.

PHOTO: Design concept for wind-powered RoRo vessel Orcelle Wind. Wallenius Wilhelmsen

Nordic shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen and other project partners aim to plan, develop, and build a wind-powered deep sea Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) - Orcelle Wind - with a capacity of carrying over 7,000 cars by late 2026 or early 2027.

It will be the first vessel from the Oceanbird concept - developed jointly by Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Swedish manufacturer Alfa Laval. Using primarily wind-assisted technology such as wing sails, the concept aims to provide an alternative to or complement vessels to reduce emissions.

It aims to install a wing sail test rig on an existing Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel by mid-2024.

The other project partners comprise Wallenius Marine, AlfaWall Oceanbird, Volvo Cars, StormGeo, Maritime CleanTech, DNV, RISE Maritime, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, UGent and NTUA.

Roger Strevens, VP Global Sustainability at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, believes that the funding “shows the concept stood up to the scrutiny of the EU funding authorities and that they had the confidence to give it their support.”

Apart from this project, this month, Horizon Europe awarded funds worth $9.8 million to the Icelandic engineering firm Verkis-led project that aims to reduce emissions from long-distance shipping voyages via wind-assisted technology.

By Tuhin Roy

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