Wind propulsion unit commercially installed

This installation took place during the docking of the Ankie in January 2020 at the Niestern Sander shipyard in the Netherlands, six months after the contract for the retrofit was signed. It is anticipated that the technology will enable significant fuel savings and be an important solution to help shipping reach the IMO decarbonisation goals for 2030 and 2050.

“We are confident that such an innovative company as van Dam Shipping will manage to get the most out of the system and we are really excited to share the results in the coming months.” stated Frank Nieuwenhuis, CEO of eConowind.

Motor power reduction

The modular Ventifoil units are in the form of wings with vents and an internal fan that use boundary layer suction for maximum effect. This installation features two, 10m wings that will generate significant force allowing the vessel to reduce motor power and thus save fuel and energy. In a second step, the units will be extended by a further 6m.

Ankie made its first voyage with the two wings installed, sailing for Wagenborg from Delfzijl to Hamburg, onwards to Norway and then back to Rotterdam.

The installation is part of the WASP (Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion) project, funded by the Interreg North Sea Europe programme, which is part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

RINA carried out the design approval, foil production and construction supervision together with the commissioning protocol preparation.