Wind assisted propulsion can cut fuel use and emissions, but shipowners still need reliable data before investing at scale. With EU support, a new European initiative will help close that gap through full scale demonstrations, verified data and decision support tools.
Advanced Wind Energy System Optimisation & Monitoring for Efficiency (AWESOME), the new EU project launched in Brussels last June, will provide shipowners with verified performance data, practical tools and standardised methods for assessing wind assisted propulsion. The aim is to reduce uncertainty, lower investment risk and accelerate the use of cost-effective emission reduction solutions in shipping.
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Integration, compliance and validation
Led by Kongsberg Maritime and supported by fourteen partners across Europe, the Horizon Europe-funded project brings together industry and research to support the transition to low- and zero-emission shipping. AWESOME tackles technical, operational and regulatory barriers that still limit wider deployment of wind propulsion.
AWESOME will test how wind propulsion can be integrated with onboard systems, control and automation in real operating conditions. The work will support compliance with frameworks such as FuelEU Maritime and future International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards, while helping shipowners reduce fuel consumption before relying on more costly low carbon fuels.
For many shipowners, the main barrier is uncertainty about performance, payback time and operational impact. The AWESOME partners will address this by delivering validated performance data and decision-support tools that make decisions easier to assess.
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Full-scale demonstrations at sea
Two full-scale demonstrators will be central to the work: one retrofit and one newbuild. The retrofit case, Bow Olympus from Odfjell Management, will show how wind propulsion can be integrated into existing vessels. This 49,000-DWT chemical tanker has been retrofitted with four 22-metre eSAIL suction sails from Bound4blue. The vessel has already demonstrated fuel savings of around twenty per cent on selected voyages, making it a strong platform for improving wind assisted propulsion control, onboard monitoring and crew training.
The newbuild, Neoliner Origin from Neoline, will demonstrate how the technology can be optimised from the design stage. It will be the world’s first hybrid commercial RoRo sailing vessel designed around two 76-metre SOLIDSAIL rigs from Chantiers de l’Atlantique. With a target of up to eighty per cent lower emissions, it represents a new generation of wind-powered deep-sea cargo transport.
Together, the vessels will provide robust real-world data across vessel types and operating conditions, helping the industry reduce risk and accelerate deployment at scale.
Supporting industry uptake and regulation
‘Europe is currently a global leader in wind assisted propulsion. AWESOME will help strengthen that position by pooling public and private resources, ensuring large scale deployment. The result can be lower emissions and more economically viable use of sustainable alternative fuels,’ says Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General, Waterborne Technology Platform, which will be collaborating closely with this new initiative.
This new collaboration is to support wider industry uptake as well by improving how performance is measured, documented and recognised. In parallel, the project will generate knowledge relevant to crews, operators and future regulatory development.
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About AWESOME
AWESOME brings together fifteen leading European partners spanning the full maritime value chain. This broad partnership supports an end-to-end approach, from design and simulation to onboard control, crew training, performance verification and market uptake. The project is supported by ~ EUR 9 million from Horizon Europe.
- Technology developers and system integrators: Kongsberg Maritime (NO) (Coordinator), Syroco (F), Bound4blue (ES), Chantiers de l’Atlantique (F)
- Shipowners and operators: Odfjell Management (NO), NEOLine (F)
- Research partners: SINTEF Ocean (NO), SINTEF Digital (NO), NTUA (G), MARIN (NL)
- Design and engineering: MAURIC (F)
- Classification and verification: DNV (NO & DE)
- Centre for decarbonisation and dissemination: Maritime CleanTech (NO)
Picture: One of the ships already making use of wind assisted ship propulsion is the Canopée, 2023 winner of the Ship of the Year Award (photo by Flying Focus).
