Primary

Wind-Powered vessels

Primary Wind-Powered vessels use the wind as main propulsion, and have an engine for support. A vessel special built for wind propulsion with a full set of Oceanbird wing sails, has the potential to cut 50-90% of all emissions.

This allows ship owners to:
⇒ Make significant fuel savings
⇒ Test new fuels since it enables a smaller fuel tank
⇒ Be long-term compliant with climate legislation, such as CII
⇒ Sail completely silent in sensitive areas and be compliant with upcoming underwater noise legislation
⇒ Do a real contribution to stop climate change

Orcelle Wind

World´s first wind-powered RoRo

Wallenius Wilhelmsen, market leader in roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping and vehicle logistics, have announced the intention to order the first vessel from the Oceanbird concept, which they will call Orcelle Wind.

Facts
Capacity: 7,100 car units
Size: 217 meter long, 39 meter wide and 70 meter height above water
Amount of wing sails: 6
Performance: At least 50-60 % lower emissions compared to conventional vessels operating in regular trading.
Vessel design: Wallenius Marine is leading the ship design and newbuilding project, in close collaboration with Oceanbird, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and design firm Knud E Hansen.
Design ready to order: In 2026.

To support the building of Orcelle Wind, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and 10 project partners, among them Oceanbird, have secured a Horizon Europe funding totaling EUR 9m. The five-year project is called Orcelle Horizon.

Watch it sail

A sneak peek at the future

Early sketch Oceanbird

How it started

Oceanbird started as a concept for wind-powered shipping, and has evolved into a company for developing the wing sails. However, the partnerships formed during these early years, are still strong and continues in new forms.

Supported by wind

Wind-Assisted vessels are equipped with 1-3 wing sails to complement the main engine. The generated thrust from the wing sails allows for power reduction on the propulsion system, contributing to fuel savings and emission reductions.

Prepared for wind

A Wind-Ready vessel is designed and built to meet classification and flag state requirements for Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems. These adjustments in an early design stage enables an effective wind propulsion system in the future.