A rigid, self-powered wingsail—designed to be bolted onto existing cargo ships—is about to undergo real-world sea trials on a UK commercial vessel. The 55,000 ships in the global fleet burn over 200 million tonnes of fossil fuel each year, producing 700 million tonnes of CO₂—3% of the global total. Fuel costs are high, low-sulphur alternatives cost more, and green fuels are not yet widely available. Wind is free, produces no emissions, and needs no new infrastructure. The challenge is making it practical for large vessels without blocking navigation lights or requiring power from the ship. This project builds two full-size prototypes of a simple, lightweight, mass-manufacturable wingsail. One unit will be tested on shore; the other will be installed on a UK commercial vessel for several months of sea trials to measure real-world fuel savings. If the system works, it could cut fuel consumption and emissions across the global shipping fleet without waiting for alternative fuels or new engines. The impact would be invisible to most people—quieter supply chains, lower shipping costs, and a measurable reduction in the 3% of global CO₂ that ships currently produce.
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WingTek is developing an innovative rigid Wingsail System to accelerate the deployment of wind auxiliary propulsion on large commercial vessels, with the goal of reduced fuel use, costs, pollution and CO2 emissions. The 55,000 commercial ships that make up the global shipping industry consume over 200M tonnes of fossil fuel each year, produce harmful gas and particulate emissions and generate 700M tonnes of CO2 annually, which is 3% of the global total. Fuel costs are currently very high, low sulphur fuels to reduce pollutants cost even more and new green CO2-free alternative fuels are not yet widely available. As a result ship owners are experiencing significant economic and increasing regulatory pressure to reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels and find ways of mitigating the cost of the more environmentally friendly alternatives. There is no simple, single alternative to the use of diesel fuels in ships. Transitioning commercial shipping away from fossil fuels to satisfy these demands will require a hybrid mix of technologies to achieve emissions targets economically. It is here that wind assistance, used as "auxiliary propulsion" rather than primary propulsion, can play a significant and effective role. Wind is widely available, free at the point of use & needs no new fuel production and distribution infrastructure. It is inexpensive to exploit and produces no emissions. Its strength as an auxiliary propulsion system is in allowing the main engine to run at lower revs whilst maintaining normal vessel speeds - saving fuel whichever type is used - and reducing costs, pollutants and CO2 emissions. This project delivers two full-size prototypes of a new rigid Wingsail designed for mass-deployment on commercial ships. This design is simple, robust and lightweight making it ideal for mass manufacture. It is self-powered, needing no power from the vessel, which means installation is simpler, faster and less expensive. Most importantly, the design ensures the vessel lights are not obscured by the wingsail and so still meets the international Collision Regulations after installation. Two operational prototype units will be manufactured as part of this project, one installed on shore for permanent testing and one installed on a UK commercial vessel for extended sea-trials over several months to demonstrate and measure real-world fuel savings.
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