The application of wind propulsion on vessels is now reaching a tipping point in the shipping industry, according to BAR Technologies’ CEO John Cooper.
Speaking in Singapore, Cooper said that BAR Technologies has seen a surge in enquiries from shipowners seeking to adopt the technology in the past 12 months and this is set to intensify in the next couple of years.
BAR Technologies is the supplier of WindWings – a rigid sail technology that uses wind propulsion to deliver average daily savings of 1.5t of fuel per wing and 4.6t CO2e per wing on typical global routes. One notable customer for WindWings is London-based ship manager and owner Union Maritime, which plans to fit WindWings on up to 30 newbuilds..
Cooper said: “The Union Maritime vessels are being built in eight different yards currently so it’s a very busy time for BAR Technologies. We are pleased with the progress we are making in our work for Union Maritime. There’s no doubt wind has reached its tipping point, and more and more owners are coming to us, coming to the industry, to talk about our products and talk about how we can do our best to help them in decarbonisation.”
Bhuvnesh Dogra, Head of Technical, Union Maritime, said: “As owners, we have examined various technologies and means to control emissions. After looking at the various technologies, we came to the conclusion that WindWings is one of the technologies which is going to take us very quickly towards succeeding in carbon reduction. Working closely with BAR Technologies, as the industry leader, has been very important for us. We are convinced that WindWings is the technology which is going to produce the best results for efficient and cost-effective shipping.”
Cooper added: “There will be a surge in demand for the equipment, which we can see from our inquiry levels. But we are ready. We have a tie up with China Merchants Energy Tech in China and their production line has plenty of capacity in place. China Merchants has invested a huge amount in our product, and they’re currently making 10 at a time. They can make over 50 in a year, and they can double the size of the production line, so they’ll be into the hundreds.”
Cooper has rejected suggestions a lack of supply may be a problem for the industry and added that BAR Tech has the ability to ramp up production.
He said: “We have also cracked the issue of lead times. Our original 37.5m wing is available eight months from order, and our newly developed and launched 20m and 24m wings are available in seven months. I want our clients to have a performance guarantee. We know exactly what the thrust of the wings will be. There’s no risk for us and there’s no performance risk to our clients. I encourage this great industry of ours to move forward with a little bit of collaboration to show the owners how much thrust they’re going to get and actually come to a logical conclusion on how we’re going to get the performance they need.”
Cooper noted the Chinese yards could produce 100 units a year relatively soon and that retrofit times were getting shorter and inside a normal drydock survey window. He added that the technology enabled BAR Technologies to provide performance guarantees.
Image: BAR Technologies CEO John Cooper (centre) speaking in Singapore (source: Imageline PR)
