In early September Wallenius Marine and partners from the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm and energy optimisation specialist SSPA Sweden AB presented their plans for Oceanbird, a 6,000 CEU intake PCTC powered by sail. The ship has a length of 200m and beam of 40m. The vessel has five 100m tall masts with 80m high sails made of a mixture of metal and composite materials. The sails can be reefed to reduce the height to around 50m.

Wallenius Marine is acting as project coordinator. KTH is responsible for the aerodynamics, sailing mechanics and performance analysis. SSPA is providing expertise on the development and validation of new testing methods, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic simulation methods and risk situation.

Speaking for Wallenius Marine, COO Per Tunell made the bold claim that “shipping is about to transform”, and Wallenius Marine “has taken the decision that we will lead the way to truly sustainable shipping. Oceanbird achieves this with a sail-powered vessel that will reduce emissions by 90% compared with best-in-class vessels operating today”.

Full commitment

Carl-Johan Söder, naval architect, Wallenius Marine, said the company is committed to backing the technical development of Oceanbird. It selected a PCTC because this is its core business and where it has the most experience. The route selected is the North Atlantic, and Wallenius Marine is optimistic that Oceanbird will enter service in 2024.

There is still a long way to go, however, before wind power is proven as a viable option for the wider industry. Söder said that Oceanbird “will be an odd bird”, and may not fit perfectly into the current transport system in all markets. Route optimisation is important, and the Oceanbird concept might not be viable in some areas.

During the presentation Jakob Kuttenkeuler, professor of naval architecture at KTH, commented briefly on the vessel design. Many alternatives, including LPG, kites and other wind  systems, were considered before the design team decided on fixed wing sails. An important factor was their strength and durability.

Unprecedented

While sails powered commercial shipping for hundreds of years, Oceanbird is vastly different from anything known previously. Kuttenkeuler said that whereas ‘normal’ sailing boats use only the wind to 30m above the sea, the sails on Oceanbird will not start until 30m above the sea, and will be almost 100m high at their tip. “We are using a piece of the atmospheric boundary layer where people have not been before,” he stressed.

To understand the wind conditions in this zone the project team took measurements at sea and performed modelling. Based on these data and other factors, the hull of Oceanbird is designed to operate at an average speed of 10 knots under sail on a North Atlantic crossing – a crossing time of 12 days to the first port of call. This is an average figure, and the vessel will sail both faster and slower for periods of time.

The hull includes fins designed to limit vessel list to no more than five degrees when sailing, a factor that is very important for ro-ro cargo. Oceanbird will have engine(s) for propulsion when there is insufficient wind speed, and for manoeuvring in and out of ports.

At this point, there are no details on where the vessel will be built. Tunell said Wallenius Marine does not have a full picture of the cost at this stage, but he expects it will be in the same region or “slightly more” than a standard PCTC vessel of the same size. The sails are likely to be built by a separate supplier to the main vessel hull.

With regard to requirements at port, Tunell said that with the sails lowered, there is not really much difference as far as infrastructure is required, but Wallenius Marine is working with its port partners “to prepare them for what is coming”.

Wallenius Marine and the project team have high expectations. Tunell acknowledged that Oceanbird is pushing the envelope, but at the same time there is a drive to deliver on the sustainability message Wallenius has been preaching for some years now. In addition, Oceanbird provides opportunities for the next generation of engineers.

The project is well supported. Sweden wants to be a fossil-free nation, and financial support from Trafikverket, to the tune of SEK27M (US$3M), “has decreased the time to market by years”, said Tunell.

French sails

In France, meanwhile, Cie Maritime Nantaise (Sogestran group) is proceeding with the pilot Neoline 136m long sail-powered ro-ro ship, which has an intake of 500 CEU or 280 TEU. As previously discussed, total sail area is 4,200 m2 , supported by 42,000 kW of auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion. Service speed is 11 knots and the ship will be deployed in the North Atlantic.

The project has cargo commitments from leading shippers, including Renault, Manitou and Beneteau, and the first ship, sas neopolia mobility, will be built in St Nazaire by Neopolia SAS. The pandemic has inevitably delayed things and it is not clear whether the vessel will be ready as planned by 2022. 

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This complete item is approximately 900 words in length, and appeared in the September 2020 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 39. To access this issue download the PDF here