Finocean becomes a Partner in the Joint Industry Project ‘WISP’ for Wind Propulsion

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Together with 12 Leading shipping Industry experts and stakeholders, among which American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and MARIN ship model basin and research institute in Netherlands, Finocean is teaming up to support and effect the WISP Joint Industry Project.

The acronym stands for ‘WInd Assisted Ship Propulsion’ project, and the objective is to overcome barriers to the uptake of wind-assisted propulsion on ships.

The effort is focused on the below aspects related to wind assisted propulsion application on ships:

  • Improve methods for transparent performance predictions, thus enabling Owners to understand more accurately the applicability of wind energy harvesting for propulsive power on their ships,
  • Review the regulatory perspective including status of rules and regulations, identify gaps and provide recommendations towards Classification societies and Flag Administrations.

 

The Project will have a duration of 1.5 years and is expected to be finalized by 4Q 2020.

During the various work streams, an Independent performance prediction will be developed for wind assisted ship propulsion on the basis of different technologies (i.e. such as Flettner Rotors, Wing Sails, etc), taking into consideration not only the aerodynamic forces generated by the winds but also the hull and propeller efficiency alterations, the impact on the propulsion powertrain (ie. main engine, gearbox, propeller, etc) and other ship design factors.

The valuable knowledge and experience of all expert participants in wind assisted ship modelling,  computational fluid dynamics analysis and regulatory compliance is paramount for the project, whereas the outcome of the JIP will provide valuable feedback and suggestions for improvement and review of the wind propulsion implementation on board, when it comes to quantifying the contribution of wind in the ship’s energy efficiency.

Finocean is funding and actively participating the project, conveying the experience of over 20 years in technological marine applications on existing ships as retrofits and on newbuildings.

Image of this news letter is courtesy of MARIN, https://www.marin.nl/jips/wisp