Wind-powered cargo capacity reaches one million DWT

According to the International Windship Association (IWSA), the latest installations of wind propulsion technology on large commercial ships have resulted in a milestone of one million deadweight tons (DWT) of cargo that can be carried on ships using wind as a renewable energy source.

More vessels are now equipped to exploit the power of the wind to reach carbon reduction targets and avoid high fuel costs.

“Wind propulsion technologies are proven to save five to 20 per cent in fuel use and associated emissions when used as wind-assist on motor vessel profiles,” says Gavin Allwright, IWSA’s Secretary General. “The savings potential is even higher for vessels that use primary wind technologies to achieve much higher levels of propulsive energy sourced from wind.”

Since 2020, there has been a spike in the analysis, testing and verification of systems, and the deployment of many demonstrator vessels welcomed by IWSA. As of today, wind propulsion systems are installed aboard 21 large commercial vessels that have carried more than one million DWT now. There are plans to install the technology aboard four additional large commercial vessels plan by the end of 2022, and 50 large ships will make use of wind as a renewable energy source by the end of 2023. Small cruise ships are also turning to wind propulsion systems, representing a further 50,000 gross register tonnage (GRT).