Uncertainty, Transition and Volatility are all words that we are coming to associate with the future of shipping and it was with these words in mind that wind propulsion advocates have come together in Hamburg to start charting a new course in this new low carbon technology segment that recently is gaining significant momentum.
The International Windship Association (IWSA) has been holding a series of events in Northern Germany to help galvanise the development of a regional wind propulsion hub, IWSA Europe North Sea & Baltic, which will be formed in the coming months around a core of wind propulsion projects from the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia. The objective of this group is to further strengthen regional networks, develop education and training programs and share best practice and to work together with stakeholders from across the industry to further help develop, promote and ultimately build wind assist and primary wind vessels.
“Wind propulsion in commercial shipping plays a major role in the innovation project MariGreen and we see the development of this regional wind propulsion hub as an important development to help move this segment develop further.” stated Sascha Strasser, MariGreen project manager at MARIKO, based in Leer.
This large core group of IWSA members held key meetings at Hochschule Emden Leer and the Hamburg School of Business Administration to help plot the course for this grouping, including wind propulsion technology providers: eConowind (NL), Norsepower (FIN), Blue Technology (DK), Ecoflettner (DE), to R&D, Designers & Naval Architects including: MARIN (NL), MARIKO & MariGreen project (DE), Utopia Navalis (DE), Dykstra NA (NL) and IDMM (NL).
eConowind CEO Frank Nieuwenhuis, a Dutch company designing and building Ventifoil sails, added: “Wind propulsion is a developing trend and saving energy gives first mover ship owners a competitive advantage and we see several innovative shippers asking detailed questions about making installations on their ships.. We also see enormous willingness from government agencies to support the industry in this field, that moves at government pace, but it’s going in the right direction!”
Concrete actions that are likely to come out of this hub development include an increase in regional events, more publicity in German, Dutch and Scandinavian press and more wind propulsion information being made available in those languages. The IWSA education program is also expected to receive a substantial boost and the delivery more coordinated in the region. The prize for wind propulsion advocates comes in the closer sharing of best practice, building a learning space, stronger networking opportunities and the possibility of pooling resources and reducing costs in R&D and transitioning products into market.
As Norsepower Oy Ltd, a leading provider of Rotor Sail technology from Finland, CEO Tuomas Riski stated: “We’re delighted to be supporting the IWSA events in Hamburg. It is great to see wind assisted propulsion gaining real momentum as a commercially viable technology. We believe that the ability to harness wind as an additional propulsion power source to enable a reduction in fuel consumption is a natural next step for the maritime transport industry as it seeks to remain costefficient and meet environmental regulations, and propel the industry towards a low carbon economy.”
The next steps will involve a full stakeholder engagement event, inviting shipyards, engineering companies, testing facilities, academia, shipping companies, regional and national government representatives and other interested parties brought together to kick start the wider hub development.
Gavin Allwright, IWSA Secretary General commented; “The way forward is full of exciting opportunities, these activities follow some of the recommendations made in the EU report on wind propulsion market development, which forecast up to 10,700 wind propulsion installations on bulkers and tankers by 2030 if the facilitation framework is in place, the development of this North Sea and Baltic Hub is one step in the right direction.” He continued; “We are already seeing increased collaboration among the members of the first hub development centred in Nantes, France, with over 60 regionally based companies engaging in meetings and planning how to integrate wind propulsion development into the regional Blue Economy strategy, IWSA envisions a series of these hubs in Europe, North America, Oceania and Asia, and the foundation work is already well underway.”
Source: International Windship Association (IWSA)