IMO 2050: Market Perception Holding Back Wider Adoption of Wind Power

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday August 28, 2018

With the IMO 2050 GHG goals now set, the industry is starting to once again look to wind power as a solution to propel ocean going vessels, helping to slash CO2 emissions in the process.

However, the main barrier to its wider adoption is not the technology itself, but rather market perception, according to Gavin Allwright, Secretary of International Windship Association (IWSA).

"Changing that [perception] comes down to having more rigs installed on more vessels, demonstrator vessels, and market-ready technologies, all of which are starting to come through the pipeline," he told SAFETY4SEA in an interview released Monday.

Indeed, a number of such developments have come to light in recent months, with Viking Line in May completing the installation of a rotor sail on Viking Grace, followed in June with the installation of an EcoFlettner rotor on the 90-metre long multi-purpose freighter MV Fehn Pollux.

As for the technology, "most of the wind propulsion systems are straightforward," says Allwright, echoing comments in June by Finnish clean tech firm Norsepower Oy Ltd (Norsepower), who said the challenge for the industry in meeting emissions reduction targets is not the technology but the will to implement it.

Allwright's full interview with SAFETY4SEA can be read here: https://safety4sea.com/cm-wind-propulsion-a-realistic-choice-toward-decarbonisation/