In August, we posted about the Pyxis Ocean, an 80,000 DWT bulk carrier, fitted with two WindWings^®, a pioneering rigid wing technology, that had set sail on its maiden voyage from China to Brazil.

Now, six months later, Cargill announced the results of the test voyages of the Pyxis Ocean, underscoring the potential for wind-assisted propulsion technology in moving the shipping industry toward renewable energy use.

The MC Shipping Kamsarmax vessel retrofitted with two large solid wind sails developed by BAR Technologies – – achieved performance consistent with what was predicted, equivalent to an average of 3 tonnes of fuel per day.  The WindWings^® were added to the six-year-old vessel with the aim of cutting fuel use by about 20% on the voyage, according to Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill Ocean Transportation, which chartered the Pyxis Ocean.

During optimal sailing conditions, the Pyxis Ocean achieved savings of more than 11t/day in fuel consumption, which translates to 41t/day less CO2e emitted well-to-wake, or a 37% emissions savings.

The UK firm BAR Technologies developed the rigid wing sail technology, which was spun out of Sir Ben Ainslie’s 2017 America’s Cup team, a competition sometimes called the ‘Formula One of the seas’. 

Made of the same material as wind turbine blades, they are folded down in port then opened out to stand at 123ft (37.5m) on the open seas.

John Cooper, BAR Technologies CEO added, “The results of the Pyxis Ocean’s first voyage with WindWings^® installed clearly demonstrate that wind-assisted propulsion can secure significant fuel savings and emissions reduction. And while the Pyxis Ocean has two WindWings^®, we anticipate the majority of Kamsarmax vessels will carry three wings, further increasing the fuel savings and emissions reductions by a factor of 1.5.

Cargill’s calculations suggest that WindWings^® could contribute to around a 30% reduction in fossil fuel consumption when three wings are installed on a new-build ship — but if that vessel is powered with a biofuel, that figure could go up to 50%, Dieleman said.

Cargill is not alone in investing in WindWings^®. In October, Berge Bulk, one the world’s leading dry bulk ship owners, launched its 211,153 DWT bulker, Berge Olympus, with four retrofitted WindWings.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.