A vessel fitted with Bound4blue eSAILs. Image Credit: Bound4blue

Wind propulsion is moving beyond individual demonstration projects, with fleet-wide investment strategies and repeat orders increasingly becoming the norm, according to the International Windship Association (IWSA).

The shift will be highlighted at SMM 2026 in Hamburg, where wind propulsion is set to have its largest-ever presence, IWSA said in an email statement on Monday.

The trade fair, running from September 1-4, is expected to attract around 45,000 industry participants.

Some 40 IWSA members will exhibit or host wind propulsion-related activities.

More than 100 commercial vessels are now operating with wind propulsion technology, representing over six million DWT of cargo capacity.

Wind propulsion systems, such as rigid sails, harness wind energy for propulsion, helping reduce bunker fuel consumption and emissions.

“The pace of commercial adoption continues to accelerate,” Gavin Allwright, Secretary General of IWSA, said.

"We are seeing new installations, repeat orders and larger deployment programmes becoming the norm rather than the exception.”

He said wind propulsion had established itself as a commercially viable technology delivering fuel savings and emissions reductions.

The association has again created an unofficial Wind Propulsion Route for SMM, guiding visitors to IWSA member companies and related events.

Allwright said the trade fair would provide an opportunity to see how the technology had progressed, with shipowners, technology suppliers, classification societies, designers and researchers attending the event.

He added that wind propulsion was becoming an increasingly mainstream part of vessel decarbonisation strategies, working alongside alternative fuels and energy-efficiency measures.

To know about wind propulsion events at HMM 2026, click here.