Van Dam Shipping, based in Spijk, Netherlands, has signed a contract for the installation of an eConowind propulsion system on its 3,600 DWT general cargo vessel Ankie. At first glance, two vertical structures in the graphic of the ship look like Flettner rotors. They are different, although a related technology. The two “sails” are a Ventifoil system, a development of Jacques Cousteau’s turbosail design which he used on the research vessel Alcyone in the mid-1980s.

Unlike the Flettner rotor, which spins on its axis, the Ventifoil/turbosail is a fixed airfoil-shaped spar with an internal fan that uses boundary layer suction to generate thrust. The installation on the Ankie will feature two 10-meter wings with two 6 meter extensions that will reduce the need for motor power with the vessel operating effectively as a motor-sailor.

“We expect the reduction in fuel costs over a period of approximately three years will equal the costs of the system and thus fulfill our dream of using the wind again in modern shipping, which has been 40 years in the making,” said Jan van Dam, owner of van Dam Shipping, to Splash247.

Van Dam Shipping will participate in further testing the concept in the new EU-backed Wind-Assist Ship Propulsion (WASP) research program, which from next month will study practical use of wind-assisted systems in day-to-day operations as well as actual savings over an extended period of time.