The Hansa Drejoe ship has become one of the newest cargo ships to have wind propulsion technology installed on it.
German shipowner Leonhardt & Blumberg first installed the Ventofoils earlier this month and it is estimated that they could deliver around 10% additional thrust for the ship.
Similar technology in other vessels has reduced fuel consumption through weather routing, a navigation strategy that optimises voyages based on wind patterns and steering ships into favourable conditions.
Christoph Meier, Naval Architect at Leonhardt & Blumberg, said: “We see wind-assisted ship propulsion as a logical next step in our journey toward greener operations.”
“Of course, the business case is important, but we also feel a responsibility to move the industry forward. Econowind’s practical and well-developed technology allows us to do both, while gaining real operational experience along the way.”
Currently, more than 100 cargo ships across the world use wind propulsion technology and save an overall 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
