The Oceanbird concept was developed in a Swedish research cluster consisting of Wallenius Marine, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SSPA Maritime center at Rise. In 2020, the cluster presented a vessel with telescopic 80-metre-high wing sails and studies that showed a possibility of a 90% reduction of emissions.

To be able to start a wing sail production, Wallenius contacted Alfa Laval and the companies formed the joint venture company Oceanbird. It soon became clear that the telescopic wing sail was too complicated and heavy to be able to put into realization in a near future. The R&D team at Oceanbird managed to half the size, while keeping the same performance, using a two-segment design that created camber.

“Thanks to the smaller size and less weight, the wing sail can also be placed on existing vessels, and by that doing much more to reduce the total emissions caused by shipping” says Oceanbird Managing Director Niclas Dahl.

Meanwhile, Wallenius Marine is leading the ship design project of the first fully sailing vessel from the Oceanbird concept – ORCELLE WIND – and has just finished the tender design. During 2024, it might be small alterations of the ship design based on, among else, new wind tunnel tests and the results from Oceanbird´s prototype testing in Landskrona and onboard TIRRANNA. In the beginning of 2025, negotiations will begin with shipyards to build the vessel.

The original Swedish cluster continues to collaborate, now in the EU project Orcelle Horizon, consisting of in total eleven partners. Joining different perspectives from all parts of the value chain, Orcelle Horizon is supporting the building of the world´s first fully sailing car-carrying vessel.

“To finish the tender design is a big milestone. This project has been a collaboration right from the start and having partners that complement each other is absolutely essential so succeed” says Carl Fagergren who leads the ORCELLE WIND ship design project at Wallenius Marine.

© Shippax