Reducing a lot on a few

Oceanbird is a concept for wind-powered vessels. The concept, including wing sails, special designed hull and speed/route recommendations, showed that it is possible to reduce emissions from vessels by up to 90 percent compared with conventional vessels.

The Oceanbird concept was developed in a research project between Wallenius Marine, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SSPA, with support from the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket). It is a technically challenging concept where the rigging and hull work together as a single unit to harness the wind in the most efficient way possible. It is a mix of aeronautic and shipbuilding technology. Performance and safety was evaluated using a combination of computer simulations and physical experiments.

Learn more about the cluster behind the Oceanbird concept.

The company is named after this revolutionary concept. AlfaWall Oceanbird will supply wing rigs for ocean-going ships, new buildings but also retro-fits. Depending on the ship type, size, speed, route etc the wing rigs will have the ability to generate the entire propulsion power for needed but it could also be used as a compliment to other propulsion systems.

We have done, and are still doing, extensive simulations in the development project together with KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) and SSPA. The simulations shows that if an Oceanbird vessel has an average speed of 9-10 knots, we only need to use the engine 10 % of the time. Even if it will go a few knots faster, it will still have significantly reductions.
Read more in the blog post “Why we claim a 90% reduction of emissions”

In wind assistant solutions, the main energy force comes from an engine which is supported by wind. Wind propulsion means that the main force comes from wind, supported by an engine.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen announced in February 2021, that they intend to order a vessel from the Oceanbird concept, which they will call Orcelle Wind. Orcelle Wind will have six Oceanbird Wing 560.  The vessel will have a capacity for approx. 7,000 cars, be approx. 220 meter long, 40 meter wide and 70 meter height above water. The ambition is to commence sailing in early 2027.

Read more in the blog post“Meet Orcelle Wind”  and in our page about New built vessels.

The first vessel with an Oceanbird Wing will sail already in mid-2024. Oceanbird will install a wing sail on the existing Wallenius Wilhelmsen vessel Tirranna, as part of the EU Founded project Orcelle Horizon.

Read more about Orcelle Horizon.

Modern cars with low or zero emission are important to reduce the amount of CO₂ emissions released into the atmosphere. The car industry is making giant leaps in reducing its environmental footprint, and of course they are also looking at every part of its supply chain.

An engine is necessary to maneuver in and out of port, for safety reasons and for unfavorable weather. However, we will use the best engine available from an environmental perspective.

The Oceanbird Wing  560 consists of a main sail and a flap, optimizing the aerodynamics forces. To allow the vessel to pass under bridges and reduce the power in hard weather, the wing can be folded and tilted.

It is half the size but shows the same performance as previous design, allowing a smaller footprint: both environmental and on deck.

Read more in the blog post “Revealing the new wing design”

Wallenius Marine developed the Oceanbird concept in a research project together with KTH and SSPA. Entering the next phase, Wallenius needed a partner for developing the wing sail system and being able to provide them to the market.

Wallenius and Alfa Laval have worked together before in developing PureBallast and shares the same values around sustainability and pioneering spirit.

Read more at About us.

We cannot wait until the end of the century to phase out fossil fuels. We must create realistic alternatives, including the infrastructure for delivering and supporting them. Today there is new urgency. We share an environmental momentum and the determination to find immediate, workable solutions.