Hampshire’s BAR Technologies trials wind propulsion sails

The Pyxis Ocean is notably different from other ships in the Cargill fleet, as it’s the first of its kind to retrofitted with a pair of BAR Technologies’ new WindWings.

Their cutting-edge wind propulsion system could generate fuel savings of up to 30 per cent on new build vessels. Innovations like this can’t come soon enough for the maritime industry, which is currently working towards a 50 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2050.

John Cooper, CEO of Portsmouth’s BAR Technologies, said: “For us, it’s more than commercial. Decarbonisation of this planet is something we really believe in, and that’s why we’re really interested in this project.”

John and his team connected with global food corporation Cargill back in 2019, and soon got to work on a solution to help cut down on emissions across their fleet of bulk cargo ships.

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Following years of development, that solution took the form of WindWings – large wing sails measuring up to 45 metres in height, manufactured by the firm’s industrialisation partner Yara Marine Technologies.

John said: “Cargill phoned us and said, ‘could you invent a wind propulsion system for us?’ A system they could put on their vessels and decarbonise the delivery of food around the globe.

“We’re very happy to have been involved in that since, in particular with the ocean transportation team at Cargill. We meet once a month to swap ideas.

“That partnership’s been really strong. We’ve fed off each other – energy, expertise, technical know-how, drive and determination. They arguably know more about shipping than us. We’re the techy guys, knowing how to invent things.”

The Pyxis Ocean has now taken to the water for its maiden voyage, but this is only the start of its journey. Experts will be closely monitoring the performance of the sails over the coming months as they look to improve the design, operation and performance of WindWings.

In the long term, the team at BAR Technologies are hoping to scale up and roll out the technology across the Cargill fleet, and beyond that, the whole maritime industry.

John said: “Each WindWing, when it’s fitted to one of these ships, is saving 1.5 tonnes of fuel a day – that’s next level savings. If international shipping is to achieve its ambition of reducing CO2 emissions, then innovation must come to the fore.

“Wind is a near marginal cost-free fuel, and the opportunity for reducing emissions, alongside significant efficiency gains in vessel operating costs, is substantial. Today is the culmination of years of pioneering research to provide vessel owners and operators with an opportunity to realise these efficiencies.”

Plans are already in the works to build hundreds more wings over the coming four years as they experiment with different hydrodynamic forms.

The project is co-funded by the EU as part of the CHEK Horizon 2020 initative, and will prove crucial in efforts to retrofit older vessels in line with today’s climate goals.

Jan Dieleman, President of Cargill’s Ocean transportation business, added: “The maritime industry is on a journey to decarbonize. It’s not an easy one, but it is an exciting one.

“A technology like WindWings doesn’t come without risk, and as an industry leader we are not afraid to invest, take those risks and be transparent with our learnings to help our partners in maritime transition to a more sustainable future.”

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