NYK to install first wind-assisted propulsion system on a bulker

In a first for the Japanese shipowner NYK Bulkship (Atlantic) will install a VentoFoil wind-assisted propulsion unit from Dutch windsail producer Econowind.

The Ventofoil is a 16-metre vertical wing that acts as a sail and is a attached a 20-foot flat rack container with no sides.

NYK said the Ventofoil acts like an airplane wing creating propulsion with the pressure difference on both sides of the wing.

“The unit takes in wind through its suction port and obtains greater propulsion by amplifying the pressure difference. VentoFoil is smaller than similar equipment, keeping it more out of the way of cargo handling. It is also easy to install and relocate,” NYK said.

NYK Bulkship, in collaboration with Cargill, will collect data to measure the effectiveness of the sail.

It is one of a number of initiatives NYK is undertaking to reach a target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

A growing number of owners are trying out wind-assisted propulsion in various forms in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Earlier in July the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed a revised GHG emissions reduction strategy with an ultimate target of reaching net-zero emissions as close to 2050 as possible