Research institute MARIN and classification society ABS have kicked off the WiSP2 joint industry project to help facilitate the broad uptake of wind propulsion as an important tool for shipping decarbonization.
The project follows on from the successful WiSP1 project launched last year and is dealing with two very important aspects of scaling up wind propulsion in commercial shipping, said the International Windship Association (IWSA) which is also a network partner.
Firstly, WiSP2 will focus on making evaluations within EEDI and EEXI, including real operational conditions, in order to prove the level of fuel savings ship owners can expect, enabling them to make informed investment decisions, whilst also keeping the upcoming CII requirements in mind.
In addition, the project will further review the regulatory perspective, recommend improvements and clarifications, and provide examples to establish compliance, as well as assessing the influence of manoeuvring compliance and course keeping.
These new findings from WiSP2 will be condensed in updated recommended methods for performance prediction and reported as submissions to MEPC and potentially other committees in IMO,
…says Jan Otto de Kat, Director, Global Sustainability Center in Copenhagen and co-initiator from ABS.
WiSP2 was started by MARIN, in cooperation with American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and together with a large number of participants, to investigate ways to overcome barriers to wind propulsion uptake.
Wind propulsion is seen by some industry experts as a realistic choice for a more sustainable shipping future, mostly the decarbonization of short-sea shipping, although there are still several barriers to be overcome for wider adoption.
