Wind-Assist

Selecting the vessel

First step is selecting an appropriate vessel in the existing fleet or the newbuilding program. One or several appropriate vessel candidates are selected based on their operational profiles, age and general arrangements.  If a vessel has an upcoming dry-docking, that could be a good opportunity to install a wind-assisted propulsion system.

The wing sail can be moved and used on another vessels, but you might not want to do extensive steel strengthening in the hull if recycling is just a few years away. On the other hand, it can be a way to avoid stranded assets by keeping an older vessel in operation instead of taking out of operation too soon.

Analyzing the route

Oceanbird´s performance analysis team investigate the weather conditions along the route of the selected vessel. They investigate the statistical distribution of wind speed and direction, together with other ship and weather-related parameters. The conditions for each leg of the route are being visualized and the team concludes whether it is a favorable route or not. The savings in terms of propulsion power, fuels and emissions is presented to the owner.

It could be a good idea to dedicate a vessel with wind propulsion to a favorable route, but it can also work in the regular system.

If the ship owner decides to proceed after getting the conclusions from the screening and the potential savings, it´s time for pre-study.

The pre-study is based on the ship owner’s requirements, according to the vessel’s characteristics and operation, and on the related rules and regulations. The study normally involves stability calculations, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic performance analysis, and analysis of the conventional propulsion system. In short: the pre-study is carried out in order to predict how the installation of the wing sail will affect the entire ship as a system and what savings will be achieved with more accuracy than in step 1.

After the pre-study, the ship owner receives an estimated ROI (return on investment), a business case and a clear recommendation if they should proceed or not.

When all boxes has been checked and we are entering the process of ordering a wind propulsion unit, Oceanbird makes an integration suggestion in collaboration with the ship owner, design house and classification society. Once the design has been approved by all stakeholders, the wing sail production begins.

For retrofitting an existing vessel, it is often necessary with hull strengthening measures to prepare the vessel for the wing sail. This is performed by the shipyard, with site supervision from Oceanbird, and can be performed during docking. The installation of the wind-propulsion unit can be installed at the yard directly or at larger ports.

Last step is getting the system up and running, and of course making sure that the crew knows how to use it. One part of the crew training program will be carried out at the land-based prototype in Landskrona, Southern Sweden. The crew will be able to maneuver a full-scale wing sail and take part in bridge simulation training.