This Is The First-Ever Merchant Ship With Inflatable Wing Sail Technology

A maritime company has declared a milestone with the installation of the WISAMO (Wind and Sail Mobility) wing sail on a merchant vessel (MN Pélican). The 100 sqm wing prototype was installed according to Michelin, the French industrial equipment supplier.

On Thursday, the company wrote on LinkedIn. “Michelin, French industrial equipment supplier Start2Prod IMECA, and the teams from Compagnie Maritime Nantaise – MN, Michelin Aria, and Michelin Recherches et Technologies (MRT Switzerland) are fully involved in the installation of the WISAMO wing sail on a first commercial vessel,” the company said.

“This new step is a great multicultural experience and moments of diverse competencies sharing to contribute to an important cause towards maritime transport decarbonization.”

The wing sail system can be incorporated into a ship’s design as original equipment, or it can be retrofitted onto a ship that is already in operation. It is ideal for tankers, bulk carriers, LNG carriers, and ro-ro vessels. The company claimed that the technology retracts for easy passage under bridges and into ports.

The company claims that the prototype can be mounted on both commercial and recreational vessels. It is estimated that using wind energy could reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% per ship.WISAMO/YouTube Most Popular “If the trials are conclusive, the partnership deal could open the door to trials using a larger wing sail, marking a great step toward decarbonizing maritime transport,” Michelin said. The roll-out of fleet-wide wind propulsion by 2050.

According to Gavin Allwright, Secretary-General of the International Windship Association (IWSA), the adoption of fleet-wide wind propulsion by 2050 might result in fuel savings of 1 trillion dollars. The most recent deployments of wind propulsion technology on large commercial vessels have increased the cargo-carrying capacity of ships powered by wind above the record of one million tons of deadweight.