EXCLUSIVE | Wind propulsion hits 120 ships as fleet orders grow

Wind propulsion has reached around 120 large vessels and more than 6 million dwt, with fleet orders now emerging as shipowners move beyond individual demonstrator projects, according to Gavin Allwright, Secretary General of the International Windship Association (IWSA).

Speaking to Digital Ship, Allwright said the sector now has at least 250 wind propulsion units installed across those vessels, with many  ships carrying multiple systems.

“We’re starting to get the repeat orders. We’re getting fleet orders as well,” he said.

Union Maritime Tanker Company has 34 vessels in its wind propulsion programme, with 10 delivered and another 24 underway. MOL has publicly announced a target of 25 vessels with wind propulsion by 2030 and 80 by 2035.

For Allwright, the growth follows years of experience with demonstrator vessels.

“Seafarers are learning about the technologies, the shipyards are learning how to install these, and all of that experience is permeating through the shipping companies and through the sector,” he said.

The tanker segment has led adoption, helped by the amount of deck space available for wind systems. But high tanker charter rates have softened the immediate incentive to cut fuel use, while higher bunker prices are generating interest among bulkers, RoRo vessels and general cargo ships.

Wind needs to be valued as an energy source

Regulation is also shaping the business case. Allwright pointed to the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime, as well as the IMO’s work on its Net Zero Framework.

He said the IMO framework differs from FuelEU Maritime and the EU ETS because it looks at vessel carbon intensity rather than focusing solely on the fuel.

That matters for wind propulsion, which Allwright said is often incorrectly treated as an energy efficiency measure.

“It is a fuel efficiency measure perhaps, but not an energy efficiency measure,” he said. “We are providing energy to the ship.”

The distinction also affects how wind is accounted for in the attained GFI calculation.

IWSA has argued that wind is undervalued when its contribution is compared with the energy delivered through the propeller. Fuel loses energy through the engine, drivetrain and propeller before reaching the point of propulsion.

“What we argued is that you need to bring that back to the brake power that is provided by the wind,” Allwright said.

IWSA has been working with an informal IMO group on guidance for incorporating wind into the GFI. Allwright said the proposal has received substantial backing.

“Our argument has been taken on board and is understood,” he said.

The association has developed a four-tier approach to measuring wind propulsion. This ranges from desktop modelling to sea trials using hindcast data, sea trials using actual data and direct measurement of thrust delivered to the vessel.

The approach has broadly been accepted at IMO, although refinements are still being made.

The economic side of the Net Zero Framework is more contentious. Wind could reduce the need for remedial units and potentially generate surplus units, but IWSA wants funding mechanisms to support wind installations alongside alternative fuel infrastructure.

“We should be using that fund not just to support long term alternative fuel infrastructure build out, but actually to incentivize the lower hanging fruit systems that can be installed quickly,” Allwright said.

Training standards lag the ships

Allwright also pointed to the gap between wind propulsion’s growing presence at sea and the development of formal safety and training standards.

IWSA is involved in correspondence working groups covering ship design and construction and seafarer training. Six class societies are members of the association, bringing technical expertise into the work.

However, current guidelines are not mandatory, and wind propulsion is not yet included in STCW statutory training.

That does not mean crews are operating without training.

“On board, you would receive familiarization training for that ship and for that specific technology,” Allwright said. This covers safety and emergency procedures, danger areas and maintenance requirements.

“Familiarization training is absolutely vital,” he added.

The issue is that training is not yet standardised across the industry. IWSA is working towards basic training in interim guidelines, followed by more advanced training for masters and other crew.

A new set of safety guidelines developed with the Maritime Technologies Forum in March 2026 is also intended to help shipping companies integrate wind propulsion into their safety management systems.

At the same time, much of the manufacturing and installation expertise is developing in Asia.

Around half of the vessels currently equipped with wind propulsion have been installed in Asian shipyards, primarily in China, according to Allwright. European companies remain active in research and development, but several IWSA members now have manufacturing facilities in China.

Chinese factories could already have capacity for several hundred units, potentially reaching around 500 per year.

Shipyards are also gaining experience with installation. Allwright said wind systems are starting to move from bespoke projects towards more standard installations, with some being added to shipyards’ standard equipment lists.

“That reduces cost and also their experience means they can do the installations quicker with the same quality of installation,” he said.

Asian-developed systems are also entering the market, including MOL’s wing system, CSSC’s rotor sail and wing sail developments, and systems from other Chinese and Korean companies.

For Allwright, the combination of fleet orders, shipyard experience, regulatory incentives and a growing technology base is changing the way owners assess wind propulsion.

“Wind should be considered in your design process and in your retrofit basket of technologies, because it delivers such a bang for its buck,” he said.

source : vesselperformance