Oceanbird sets sail to zero-emission target

Getting to zero was never going to be easy but it was the challenge set for Carl Fagergren, project manager at Wallenius Marine, when he joined the company in 2009.

Having recognised that wind power would play an important role in emissions reduction, Wallenius Marine and its joint venture partner, Alfa Laval, completed the fitting of a single Oceanbird Wing560 to the 2009-built, 30,000dwt Wallenius Wilhelmsen car carrier Tirranna in June this year.

Tirranna is the test bed for Oceanbird, but even before the Wing560 installation on the Wallenius ship was completed, the company had its first commercial order for two wing sails to be retrofitted for an undisclosed owner on a yet to be announced vessel type.

“It proves that wind propulsion is not just a concept – it’s a viable, scalable...