BAR Technologies (BAR), a wind propulsion leader and innovative simulation-driven marine engineering consultancy, has announced an expansion of its partnership with WindWaves (formerly Nervion Naval Offshore), a pioneer in floating offshore wind platforms, for the latter to manufacture, sell, and deliver BAR’s new 20/24m WindWings® wing sail design within Europe. In February this year the two companies announced a similar deal for the larger 37.5m WindWings®.
The deal will give European customers, and customers utilising drydocks in the region, access to an enhanced provision of products across the WindWings® range.
Under the terms of the agreement, WindWaves will manage the value chain of procurement and construction of 20m and 24m WindWings®, and their installation at shipyards across Europe. Additionally, WindWaves will manage the servicing of WindWings® during their operational life cycle, alongside crew training on the operation of the wing sails.
The new 20-24m WindWings® models are a compact & lightweight version of the original patented 3-element design, which save more than 500t of CO2 per WindWing® per year at less than five years payback.
Following the global success of the original launch, which set new environmental and efficiency standards in shipping, BAR’s new product is aimed at handysize bulkers, chemical tankers, and smaller vessels, increasing the target fleet size by 50%, making wind-assisted propulsion (WAP) technology accessible to a much broader range of vessels. Weighing less than 30 tonnes, the new range are extremely economic and simple to fit on both newbuilds and retrofits.
WindWings®’ fuel-saving capabilities were first independently validated by DNV-Maritime in May 2024. Their deployment on vessels such as the Pyxis Ocean and Berge Olympus has already demonstrated a 32% reduction in energy use per nautical mile, solidifying WindWings® as a reliable and independently validated choice for shipowners.