Wind-Assist Newbuild Tanker Proves Potential

Union Maritime’s new wind-assist tanker Brands Hatch has completed its maiden voyage, achieving more than a third of its propulsion power from wind when conditions were favorable.

The vessel is the first newbuild tanker installed with BAR Technologies’ WindWings®.

Brands Hatch achieved significant fuel savings while maintaining strong sailing speeds in challenging weather.

Union Maritime also employed sail-aware weather routing from Ascenz Marorka on the voyage.  

Whilst on global routes each WindWing can save an average of 1.5 tonnes of fuel per wing per day. During this first voyage Brands Hatch saw its three WindWings replace 12.8 tonnes of fuel in 24 hours (4.3t per wing, equating to 13t of CO2 avoided per WindWing per day). Within this 24-hour period, sustained peak performance of over 18 tonnes per day was seen for six hours.

Brands Hatch leads Union Maritime’s rollout of a fleet of wind-assisted vessels which will be the largest of its kind worldwide. A significant portion of the fleet will be equipped with WindWings, ensuring full compliance with international environmental standards through to 2030.

In readiness for the delivery of wind-assisted vessels, Union Maritime led a collaborative effort with partners Anglo-Eastern, Synergy, Atlantas Ship Management and BAR Technologies. Project AeroPower was launched to lead the safe and seamless introduction of wind propulsion systems at a worldwide scale.