ONE orders two containerised units for wind-assist propulsion

Singapore-based Ocean Network Express (ONE) has decided to install two containerised wind assist units on one of their operated container feeder ships before the end of the year.

The 1,036 TEU boxship Kalamazoo is owned by Singapore-based Norse and the wind assist systems will be supplied by the Netherlands-based company, Econowind.

This is one of the key initiatives of ONE’s operational cost optimisation project cluster called “Sapphire + Project”, and it can also contribute to the decarbonisation initiatives in the carrier’s Green Strategy.

The two containerised units will be equipped with the latest wing design from Econowind, the ‘VentoFoil’. These have smart suction systems in order to control the airflow around the wing-shaped element ensuring maximal trust per surface area. The 10,5 x 2,8 m VentoFoil units will be able to generate thrust to save up to 400kW of engine power.

ONE, Norse and Econowind have studied wind assisted propulsion together and it is expected to contribute both to the reduction of fuel oil consumption, and it will also have a positive effect over a wide range of operations.

Takashi Kase, senior vice president of ONE, commented, “Reduction of GHG emissions is ONE’s top business priority. This first wind assist system utilization will be a great milestone to our goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”