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Union Maritime to set sail with WindWings on tanker newbuild pair

Union Maritime, a UK headquartered vessel operator has ordered two LR2 tankers from the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) yard in China, with three WindWings sails on each vessel.

Nick Savvides, Europe correspondent

March 13, 2024

1 Min Read
WindWings on Union Maritime tanker
Image: Union Maritime/WindWings

The two tankers are 114,000dwt and are the standard SWS yard design, they will be delivered in 2025 and are to be classed by Lloyd’s Register.

Union Maritime, which operates 86 ships including 46 tankers and has an orderbook of 26 vessels, has added the wind assist technology in a bid to cut up to 15 tonnes of CO2/per day on a typical global route.

The company said that WindWings operates in combination with a route optimisation system, adjusting the rigid sails based on the wind conditions, vessel speed, and the ship’s course, without compromising the vessel's speed.

UM said it aims to surpass the IMO emissions targets by also investing in energy-saving technology, data collection and analysis, and low- or zero-GHG fuel sources.

Hong Kong listed CM Energy Tech (CMET), whose main shareholder is China Merchants Industry Holding, will manufacture the BAR Technologies WindWings.

Union Maritime Lauren Cadji, MD said the company was looking forward to a successful delivery of the two vessels: "WindWings have increasingly been proven to enhance the performance and efficiency of vessels around the world.”

Zhan Huafeng, Executive Director and Executive President of CM Energy, said the collaboration on this project “is another milestone in the adoption of wind propulsion technology in the shipping sector”.

Related:BAR Technologies ramps up WindWings production with China Merchants

About the Author

Nick Savvides

Europe correspondent

Experienced journalist working online, in monthly magazines and daily news coverage. Nick Savvides began his journalistic career working as a freelance from his flat in central London, and has since worked in Athens, while also writing for some major publications including The Observer, The European, Daily Express and Thomson Reuters. 

Most recently Nick joined The Loadstar as the publication’s news editor to develop the profile of the publication, increase its readership and to build a team that will market, sell and report on supply chain issues and container shipping news. 

This was a similar brief to his time at ci-online, the online publication for Containerisation International and Container News. During his time at ci-online Nich developed a team of freelancers and full-time employees increasing its readership substantially. He then moved to International Freighting Weekly, a sister publication, IFW also focused on container shipping, rail and trucking and ports. Both publications were published by Informa. 

Following his spell at Informa Nick joined Reed’s chemical reporting team, ICIS, as the chemical tanker reporter. While at ICIS he also reported on the chemical industry and spent some time on the oil & gas desk. 

Nick has also worked for a time at Lloyd’s Register, which has an energy division, and his role was writing their technical magazine, before again becoming a journalist at The Naval Architect for the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. After eight successful years at RINA, he joined Fairplay, which published a fortnightly magazine and daily news on the website.

Nick's time at Fairplay saw him win the Seahorse Club Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year 2018 awards.

After Fairplay closed, Nick joined an online US start-up called FreightWaves. 

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