Sailing towards a blue economy
The shipping industry produces 14 % of the EU transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions(opens in new window). An innovative new wind propulsion system developed by the WINNEW project could help the industry reduce this figure. The project expects that installing its 363 m2 wing sails onto commercial ships will result in a 45 % reduction in both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Capable of being installed on both new and existing ships, the solution could help ships reduce their operating expenses by as much as 30 %. In the summer of 2023, the Oceanwings wing sails were installed and tested on Canopée, a ship transporting Ariane rocket parts between Europe and its spaceport in French Guiana. The combination of diesel propulsion and wind assistance on this vessel represents a big leap forward in the decarbonisation of industrial shipping – which led the project to win the ‘Ship of the Year Award’ for 2023.