EMEA News
Swedish Companies Announce Wind-Powered Car Carrier Design
A group of Swedish companies has joined forces to design a wind-powered car carrier.
The Oceanbird project is a collaboration between Wallenius Marine, KTH (Royal Institute of Technology) and SSPA, supported and co-financed by the Swedish Transport Administration, the companies said Thursday.
The coalition has produced a concept for a wind-powered vessel capable of carrying 7,000 cars.
"Our design features a unique combination where the hull and rigs work together as one unit and has been specifically optimized for sailing the oceans," Carl-Johan Söder, a naval architect for Wallenius Marine, said in the statement.
"With our configuration the vessel will have an average speed of 10 knots on a typical Atlantic crossing.
"A North Atlantic crossing with Oceanbird will therefore take around twelve days, compared to the eight days it takes conventional vessels."
The design will be ready for orders next year, and the project aims for a launch date in 2024, the companies said.
