Kongsberg Maritime will lead a new EU-funded project on wind-assisted propulsion in shipping.
The project is called AWESOME. Its full name is Advanced Wind Energy System Optimisation & Monitoring for Efficiency.
Horizon Europe funds the project. It brings together 15 European partners from shipping, research and technology.
AWESOME will test wind-assisted propulsion systems under real operating conditions. It will collect performance data from ships at sea. It will also create tools to help shipowners assess fuel savings, costs and operational impact.
The project aims to reduce uncertainty around wind propulsion. This could help shipowners make better investment decisions. It could also support compliance with FuelEU Maritime and future IMO rules.
“Wind-assisted propulsion is one of the most attractive pathways to compliant, cost-effective shipping. We believe AWESOME represents a major step forward in scaling this technology,” said Kjerstin Kleyne Braaten, Senior Vice President Emerging Solutions at Kongsberg Maritime.
The project will use two full-scale demonstration vessels.
The first vessel is an Odfjell 49,000 dwt chemical tanker. The ship has four 22-metre eSAIL® suction sails from bound4blue. It has already achieved fuel savings of around 20% on selected voyages.
The second vessel is Neoliner Origin. It is the world’s first hybrid commercial RoRo sailing vessel. The ship has two 76-metre SOLIDSAIL rigs from Chantiers de l’Atlantique. It targets emissions cuts of up to 80%.
The two vessels will provide data on thrust, fuel savings and long-term performance. The project will use this data across different ship types and operating conditions.
“Wind-assisted propulsion is already delivering real results for Odfjell,” said Jan Opedal, Manager Project at Odfjell. “Through projects like AWESOME, we are building on our long-term efforts to reduce emissions by turning operational experience into knowledge that can be scaled across the industry. We see considerable potential in wind, and initiatives like this are key to unlocking it by improving insight and reducing uncertainty.”
AWESOME will also improve how the industry measures and documents wind propulsion performance. The results will support shipowners, operators, crews and regulators.
“Europe is currently a global leader in wind-assisted propulsion technologies,” said Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General of the Waterborne Technology Platform. “The AWESOME project is another important step to increase European leadership by pooling public and private resources and ensuring large-scale deployment of wind-assisted propulsion.”
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