EU Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) Project to host conference at SMM 2022

The EU-Interreg North Sea Region project ‘WASP: Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion’ will convene ship owners, wind- assisted propulsion technology providers and academia at the SMM trade fair in Hamburg on September 7.

Participants of the WASP Conference 2022 will gain key insights into actual performances achieved by selected technologies installed on merchant ships and partake in lively discussions around the wind-assisted propulsion technology’s true potential for supporting the industry’s need to rapidly decarbonise.

Wind assisted ship propulsion is one of the most promising contributions towards sustainable shipping. It enables ships to exploit an emission-free energy source that is delivered directly to the ship while it is at sea. To-date, twenty ships have been equipped with wind assisted propulsion technologies and this number is set to greatly increase in the next few years.

Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the WASP Project brings together universities, wind-assist technology providers with ship owners to research, trial and validate the operational performance of a selection of wind propulsion solutions in order to enable wind propulsion technology market penetration. The overall aim of the project is the realisation of a greener North Sea transport system through the harvesting the region’s abundant wind potential.

As part of the WASP Project rotor sails, suction wings and wing sails were installed on five commercial ships and third-party validations were conducted in order to verify actual fuel savings achieved.

“Participants joining us at the WASP Conference 2022 will hear from the providers of the wind-assisted propulsion technologies installed onboard the five vessels, Econowind, EcoFlettner and Norsepower. Preliminary results will be presented and we will also discuss how lessons learned from the project will help scale these technologies in the North Sea region, wider EU and globally.” says Kasper Uithoff, WASP Project Leader

In addition to technology provider insights, ship owner perspectives and experiences will be provided by representatives from Scandlines, Rord Braren and van Dam Shipping followed by a breezy panel discussion moderated by International Windship Association (IWSA) Secretary General, Gavin Allwright.

Conference speakers will also present the forefront of academic research into wind power for discussion, including sea trials, digital twins and ship performance models followed by another gusty panel discussion. The conference will close with drinks and networking.

The WASP Conference 2022 will be held on Wednesday September 7 in the Copenhagen Room, Hall B3 at the Hamburg Messe in Hamburg, Germany between 10.00 and 17.00.

There is no pre-registration requirement or additional charge to attend this conference, only the standard SMM entry fee. Find out more here: https://northsearegion.eu/wasp/webinars-and-events/
Source: WASP Project