Høglund acquires stake in wind vessel concept
Vindskip, which means ‘wind ship’ in English, is a vessel design project for a car/truck carrier that combines wind and gas power to achieve the lowest possible emissions in its market segment. Alongside co-owners and fellow Norwegian electric propulsion provider, Stadt, Høglund will supply an LNG fuel system, power management and automation technology.
“With the pressure on shipping to reduce GHG emissions increasing, it is more important than ever to demonstrate how innovative we can be in meeting this critical environmental challenge,” said Børge Nogva, president of Høglund Marine Solutions and chairman of Vindskip.
“Wind-assisted propulsion has great potential – but it needs careful integration of hardware and software to realise,” he added.
The Vindskip design uses the shape of the hull to act like a sail, harnessing the wind to generate traction and provide auxiliary propulsion, while also reducing aerodynamic drag by up to 75% and emitting 63% less CO2 and 96% less NOx than similar capacity vessels currently in service.
The vessel will incorporate a weather routing module that will calculate and recommend the most appropriate route to harness the full potential of available wind conditions. As well as using wind, the vessel will also be powered by a hybrid electric-LNG propulsion system which could use biogas to further reduce emissions.
