Wallenius Wilhelmsen Installs Wing Sail on RoRo Vessel Tirranna for Commercial Wind Propulsion Trials

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has completed the installation of a wing sail on its roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel Tirranna, marking the start of full-scale commercial testing of wind-assisted propulsion technology.

The installation was carried out between 22 and 24 June at Damen Shipyard in Rotterdam, followed by harbour acceptance tests and a successful sea acceptance test (SAT), which concluded on 1 July.

Full-Scale Commercial Trial to Evaluate Wind-Assisted Propulsion

The wing sail installation is intended to assess the performance of wind-assisted propulsion under real operating conditions aboard a commercial RoRo vessel.

Following successful acceptance testing, Tirranna has returned to normal service, where operational data will be collected to evaluate the technology’s impact on fuel consumption, vessel performance and emissions reduction.

The project builds on earlier land-based testing conducted in Landskrona, Sweden, before progressing to onboard commercial deployment.

Performance Data to Support Future Decarbonisation Decisions

According to Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the trial is part of its broader strategy to evaluate multiple technologies that could contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its fleet.

Lars Ekren, Senior Manager – Newbuildings and Conversions at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, said:

“Exploring wind-assisted propulsion builds on a long history of testing new solutions to improve energy efficiency in our fleet. This is a full-scale installation in commercial operation, giving us the opportunity to learn how this technology performs in practice. It’s an important step in evaluating how solutions like this can work alongside our existing efforts as part of a broader approach to reducing emissions.”

Jørgen Westrum Thorsen, Vice President of Orcelle Accelerator at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, added:

“This builds on our long history of testing innovative solutions to improve how we operate and reduce fuel consumption. It’s exciting that the wing sail is now onboard Tirranna. We look forward to testing the technology and seeing its impact first hand.”

Wind Propulsion Gains Momentum in Shipping

Wind-assisted propulsion systems, including wing sails, rotor sails and suction sails, are attracting increasing interest from shipowners seeking to improve fuel efficiency and comply with tightening international emissions regulations. These systems supplement conventional propulsion by harnessing wind energy, helping reduce engine load and fuel consumption depending on weather conditions and voyage routes.