WIND CHALLENGER

 

  SAILS WIND ASSISTED PROJECTS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE FUEL REDUCTIONS IMO MARPOL ZERO CARBON SHIPPING

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WIND CHALLENGER - A joint industry project launched in 2009 by the University of Tokyo and supported by NYK, MOL, K-Line, Oshima Shipbuilding, Tadano and ClassNK is looking to develop a next generation sailing vessel that will have a 50 percent lower rate of fuel consumption as compared to a conventional motor vessel of the same speed and deadweight.

 

 

 

 

Called “Wind Challenger,” this post-Panamax bulk carrier will have large, computer-controlled retractable fiberglass or aluminum alloy wings.

By harnessing the wind, the company estimates that the giant sail could shave 20% to 40%, or around A$3m (£2m; $3.1m), off a ship's annual fuel bill when traveling at 16 knots (18mph), with the solar panels contributing an extra 3% to 6% saving. They estimate such a system could reduce a vessel’s GHG emissions by about 5% on a Japan-Australia voyage, and about 8% on Japan-North America West Coast voyage. The long-term goal is to develop a solution to achieve IMO targets in combination with other measures to reduce GHGs by equipping vessels with multiple sails.

 

 

 

 

On the 3rd of October 2019, leading Classification Society ClassNK granted an 'Approval in Principle' (AIP) based on its “Guidelines for Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems for Ships” and related regulations for the basic design of a hard sail system, which converts wind energy to propulsive force with a telescopic hard sail. This is the fundamental technology of the Wind Challenger Project that Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (“MOL”) and Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. are spearheading.

ClassNK Public Relations Team
Tel: +81-3-5226-2047
E-mail: eod@classnk.or.jp

 

 

Zero carbon cargo vessel ZEV for Pacific Islands Copyright Bluebird Marine Systems Ltd

 

SUSTAINABLE CONTAINER SHIPS - This 50m concept vessel may be doubled and quadrupled without too much trouble. You'd need to up-scale by a factor of 8 to match the 400 meter ships that operate today to carry 960 standard containers. See our top ten list below. That is nowhere near the capacity of a heavy bunker fueled giant, but it is a formula for eventual 100% zero carbon transportation that is theoretically workable. We believe that such a system could eventually replace bunker fuels and eliminate the need for liquid fuels that may be potentially dangerous.

 

 

CARGO CONTENDERS A list of the top ten fossil fueled leaders that could benefit from solar and wind assistance. You may notice from the specification of these vessels that we are in the right ballpark for power to cargo ratio when comparing DWT to installed engine power:

 

 

RANKED

SHIP NAME

No. BUILT

LOA

TEU

KW/TON/DWT

-

-

-

-

-

-

1.

MSC GULSUN

5

399.9

23,756

0.379 (0.50hp)

2.

OOCL HONG KONG

5

399.9

21,413

0.316 (0.42hp)

3.

COSCO Shipping Universe 

3

400.0

21,237

N/A

4.

CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery

2

400.0

20,954

0.368 (0.49hp)

5.

Madrid MAERSK

10

399.0

20,568

0.3    (0.4hp)

6.

Ever Golden

10

400.0

20,388

N/A

7.

MOL Truth

1

399.0

20,182

N/A

8.

MOL Triumph

3

400.0

20,170

0.427 (0.57hp)

9.

COSCO Shipping Taurus

4

399.8

20,119

N/A

10.

Barzan

5

400.0

19,870

N/A

-

-

-

-

-

-

00 (Proto)

BMS ZECV 1

-

50.0

6

0.37  (0.49hp)

 

 

 

Solar Sailor, BP sponsored passenger ferry, Sydney Harbour, Australia

 

 

The concept of using wind and solar power together on ships is no longer science fiction, nor is it decades away. There are a number of interesting concepts under development. In our view the first practical application of combined wind and solar power was with Solar Sailor, where sails were also solar panels that could be aimed. Before this, in the 1980's several Japanese ships were fitted with rigid sails with the aim of reducing fuel consumption, driven largely by the oil crisis in the 1970's which resulted in oil shortages and the price of oil soaring. When the crisis passed and oil prices fell again, the viability of rigid sails in terms of cost was undermined.

Despite this ships such as the 'Shin Aitoku Maru' and 'Usuki Pioneer' were fitted with JAMDA (Japan Marine Machinery Development Association) rigid sails that reportedly proved rigid sails reduced fuel consumption by approximately 10-30%. The search continues for the best combined wind system, and that is where we come in.

 

 

 

A - Z SAIL AND SOLAR ASSISTED BOATS & SHIPS

 

ARCHINAUTE

ASHINGTON

AQUARIUS

BLACK MAGIC

CARGILL DELTAMARIN BAR TECH

ELIZABETH SWANN

ENERGY OBSERVER

IWSA - WINDSHIP ASSOCIATION

JAMDA

SOLAR SAILOR

VINDSKIP

VPLP

WALKER WINGSAILS

WALLENIUS OCEANBIRD

WIND CHALLENGER

 

 

 

LINKS & REFERENCES

 

https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/americas/new-coalition-to-push-for-zero-carbon-emission-shipping-by-2030/

https://www.mol.co.jp/en/pr/2019/19065.html

https://www.j-l-a.com/press_releases/classnk-grants-aip-related-to-wind-challenger-project/

https://shipandbunker.com/news/world/148606-solar-and-wind-powered-cruise-ship-to-sail-in-2020
https://www.ecomarinepower.com/en/wind-and-solar-power-for-ships

 

 

 

 

 

TRANSFERABLE TECHNOLOGY - The design of the Climate Change Challenger might be adapted to Cargo, Container, Cruise and Ferry designs, without needing to radically alter port facilities. The designs above are not representative of adaptations of the concept, but serve to illustrate the thinking of other design houses.

 

 

 

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