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Mitsubishi Bulker set to be first with WindWings

Mitsubishi Corporation’s Pyxis Ocean is set to be the first vessel fitted with BAR Technologies’ wind propulsion technology WindWings.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

June 29, 2022

2 Min Read
pyxis ocean
BARTech

Two WindWings will be delivered by Yara Marine Technologies and installed on the five-year-old, 80,962 dwt bulk carrier Pyxis Ocean­. One of the wings was funded by the European Union as part of EU Horizon 2020 Project CHEK, dedicated to demonstrating solutions for decarbonising international shipping.

The installation, anticipated for the beginning of 2023, comes as the next step in a collaboration launched in 2019 between Cargill and Mitsubishi Corporation's MC Shipping Ltd. Singapore Branch to increase energy savings and reduce emissions from international shipping.

“The pressure is on the ship owning and chartering community to take proactive and material action to tackle the immediate and uprising challenges towards the energy transition on its existing vessels, and fast,” said Takafumi Oka, General Manager, Ship Dept. of Mitsubishi Corporation.

“Our partnership with Cargill demonstrates the collaborative effort that is required to align strategic objectives among the stakeholders and ensure the global fleet can keep pace with evolving demands to reduce the environmental impact of our industry. It has been an exciting journey with multinational counterparties such as Cargill, BAR Tech, Yara Marine, DNV and engineering company Cybermarine to overcome the challenges together and make this happen, and we hope to see many of such collaborations in our maritime industry to scale the solutions,” said Takafumi.

Related:$5.3m wind propulsion optimisation project gets underway

“Cargill and MC Shipping are working together to bridge the gap between shipowner and charterer, with a desire to implement technologies that will benefit not just both parties, but the industry and the planet at large,” said Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation division.

“Reductions in fuel consumption via the exploitation of wind energy as a free fuel generates the two-fold benefits of lower fuel costs and lower emissions, propelling the global fleet affordably on its track to decarbonisation. With projected reductions in average fuel consumption of up to 30% for a full-scale deployment, we anticipate that WindWings will significantly outperform its contemporaries in the wind propulsion arena,” said John Cooper, CEO of Bar Technology.

 “The installation of two Windwings onboard Pyxis Ocean is significant being the first and will be the first of many”. says Thomas Koniordos, CEO of Yara Marine.

About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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