Wind propulsion faces scaling barriers

A study by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, supported by Seas At Risk, found that wind propulsion could cut global shipping CO₂ emissions by 7.8% by 2050. With stronger policy support, savings could reach as high as 762 million tonnes annually.

Drawing on 1.74 billion kilometres of voyage data, the study concludes that wind-assisted technologies are already commercially viable and could reduce fleet-wide fuel use by between 6.3% and 9.4%, with even greater potential through operational optimisation.

“The ships needed to reach 2030 climate targets are already at sea and they can be powered by wind,” said Anaïs Rios, senior shipping policy officer, Seas At Risk.

“Wind propulsion is not a future option, it’s a solution we can deploy today.”

However, the research highlights that policy remains a critical bottleneck. Without stronger incentives within frameworks such as those set by the International Maritime Organization, emissions reductions from wind propulsion could fall to just 0.2% by mid-century.

Alongside policy challenges, a separate analysis from BAR Technologies points to commercial structures as another major barrier.

“The industry doesn’t have a technology problem; it has a contract problem,” said John Cooper, chief executive of BAR Technologies.

Shipping’s long-established model often separates ship ownership from operation. While owners would typically fund wind propulsion installations, charterers control fuel use and therefore capture most of the immediate financial benefits. This ‘split incentive’ has slowed investment decisions across the globe.

Technologies such as BAR’s WindWings are already demonstrating fuel and emissions savings of between 5% and 20% in real-world operations, underscoring the gap between technical capability and market uptake.

Dr James Mason, research associate, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, said targeted deployment could deliver meaningful results this decade. “If scale-up is supported over the next critical period, wind propulsion could play a vital role in reducing cumulative emissions,” he said.

Industry bodies including BIMCO are now working on contractual frameworks to better align incentives between stakeholders, but progress remains gradual.

With tightening regulation, rising fuel costs and mounting pressure to decarbonise, both analyses warn that delays in adoption risk locking in avoidable emissions.

“The question is no longer whether wind propulsion works,” Cooper said. “It is whether the industry can afford not to make it work commercially.”