Wind Power and the Charter Party Challenge

This week, wind-assist company BAR Technologies published an article on LinkedIn titled The Charter Party Challenge, the challenge being how do shipowners reap the benefits of installing wind-assist technology when it is the charterer that usually benefits from lower fuel consumption.

Even though there’s around 100 vessels now sailing with wind-assist systems, and that number is expected to double over the next 12 months, suitable charter party agreements are still somewhat bespoke solutions rather than following an industry standard.

The consequence is, according to wind proponents, that uptake is not fast enough even though it’s a solution that offers fuel and emissions savings and is allowed for in FuelEU and EU ETS schemes.

Everyone stands to benefit from reduced fuel costs and emissions, but as BAR Technologies points out: “From the owner’s perspective: why invest capital if the return sits with someone else?”

BIMCO is working on an Energy Saving Device Retrofit Addendum to support equitable charter agreements.

Meanwhile, regulation is tightening, fuel costs remain volatile and emissions reduction performance is becoming increasingly important for shipping. 

Doing nothing isn’t a neutral position, says BAR Technologies. “It means missing out on both the commercial and environmental gains.”

Equipment manufacturers continue to expand their offerings: This week, Econowind announced it is moving into the deepsea market with the launch of its new 5-series VentoFoil, a larger steel suction wing system for oceangoing vessels.

And progress is still being made throughout Europe. The EU reported this week that emissions data for 2025 showed a 1.3% reduction in cross-industry ETS emissions, compared to 2024 levels. For maritime, emissions fell by around 3%. Since the ETS was launched in 2005, the system has halved emissions in the sectors it covers. It remains on track to achieve the 2030 target of a 62% reduction.