The Oceanbird concept
Wallenius Marine has always been at the forefront of environmentally friendly maritime innovations. Carl-Johan Söder, Naval Architect at Wallenius Marine, explains that the vision to build an emission-free ship until very recently was a long-term goal.
Carl-Johan Söder
“But then we asked ourselves, why do we have to wait until 2050? If we look at the available technology in sectors such as the aerospace industry, add some research and development, and combine it with an optimized platform, we can potentially have a design ready in a couple of years.”
Swedish knowledge cluster
As a result, a joint research project started in 2019 with the goal of developing a concept for wind-powered vessels that generates 90 percent less emissions than today’s most energy-efficient vessels. The development was of such importance that the Swedish Transport Administration chose to invest SEK 27 million in the three-year development project. In addition to Wallenius Marine, which coordinates the project, the grant also went to the partners SSPA and KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
“If this type of wind-powered ships were to become common in the industry, it would be a big step forward to make the shipping sector fossil-free. These are definitely one of the most promising projects we have funded. I believe that the consortium behind the project is a good guarantee that this will be a successful project” says Rein Jüriado, chief strategist at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Next step: Realisation
We are now in the realisation phase. In June 2021, Alfa Laval and Wallenius announced that we will enter into a new 50/50 joint venture that will develop and provide technology for fully wind-powered vessel propulsion. In December 2021, AlfaWall Oceanbird was created. Alfa Laval and Wallenius are familiar partners in developing ground-breaking technology. The companies have collaborated before on PureBallast, which is one of today’s leading solutions for chemical-free ballast water treatment.
While AlfaWall Oceanbird is developing the wing sail technology, Wallenius Marine is leading the ship design and new building project of the first vessels from the Oceanbird concept.
