Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s plans to build a wind-powered ro-ro car carrier capable of carrying 7,000 vehicles have been boosted by €9m ($9.7m) in research funding from Horizon Europe.
The EU funding will be used in all aspects of planning, building and operating the sail-powered Orcelle Wind car and truck carrier with an aim for it now to commence sailing in late 2026 or early 2027.
“The Horizon Europe EU funding shows the concept stood up to the scrutiny of the EU funding authorities and that they had the confidence to give it their support,” said Roger Strevens, vice president of global sustainability at Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
The grant has been divided between 11 partners who are working on the project including companies providing elements including weather routing, vessel design, supply chain orchestration and crew training to test the wind rig installation on an existing vessel.
A test of the wing sail rig will be performed on an existing Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel during mid-2024, the company said.
Plans for the Orcelle Wind envisage emission reductions of up to 90%.
Partners in the 11-strong group include technology company Alfa Laval in the joint venture with Wallenius called AlfaWall Oceanbird as well as weather forecaster StormGeo, Volvo Cars, class society DNV and Norway’s Maritime CleanTech organisation.
Strevens said the EU project is an opportunity to combine the investments needed for full-scale demonstration and data capture with advanced models and tools for wing propulsion vessels.
“Beyond the demonstrator vessel, the partners will use the models and tools to develop advanced conceptual designs and operational plans for multiple vessel types to apply the wing solution,” he added.
