Wind propulsion is moving beyond one-off installations. Around 120 large vessels now carry the technology, while repeat orders and fleet programmes suggest some owners are becoming more confident in its operational case.

The regulation is less settled. IWSA argues that wind should be recognised as an energy source in its own right, rather than valued only through the fuel it saves, and work continues at IMO on how that contribution should be calculated.

For owners considering newbuilds and retrofits, that argument matters as it suggests the technology is scaling faster than the rules used to measure its contribution.

Wind wins repeat orders while the rulebook still decides what a sail is worth

Wind propulsion has outgrown the days when a single rotor on a single tanker made headlines. Around 120 large vessels totalling more than 6 million dwt now carry at least 250 installed units, according to Gavin Allwright, Secretary General of the International Windship Association (IWSA).

The more telling figure is the repeat order. Union Maritime Tanker Company has 34 vessels in its wind programme with 10 already delivered. MOL is targeting 80 wind-assisted ships by 2035. Repeat orders suggest owners are gaining confidence from earlier installations. Wind is beginning to move beyond demonstrator projects and into wider fleet planning.

Supply is ready to scale. Shipyards are adding wind systems to their standard equipment lists, and Chinese factories could reach around 500 units a year.

The regulatory accounting is behind. Allwright argues that wind is routinely mislabelled. “It is a fuel efficiency measure perhaps, but not an energy efficiency measure,” he said. “We are providing energy to the ship.”

That distinction decides how much credit wind earns in the attained GFI under the IMO Net Zero Framework. Measured at the propeller, wind looks smaller than it is, because fuel loses energy through the engine and drivetrain before it reaches that point. IWSA wants the calculation taken back to brake power. Allwright said the argument has been “taken on board and is understood”, but the matter is not settled.

The crew side is also unfinished. Wind propulsion is not part of STCW statutory training, and current safety guidelines are voluntary. Seafarers receive familiarisation for each ship and system, but there is no common standard across the industry. For owners operating different wind systems across a fleet, that leaves more responsibility for technology-specific training at company and vessel level.

So the problem for owners planning newbuilds is plain. The technology is gaining operational experience and the order books are growing. How much carbon credit a sail earns and how crews are certified to run it are still being decided. Owners who take part in that work now will help shape the numbers their ships are judged by.

Allwright’s advice: “Wind should be considered in your design process and in your retrofit basket of technologies, because it delivers such a bang for its buck.”

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