World’s first wind-assisted newbuild tanker arrives in Europe
Union Maritime, a leading provider of smart shipping solutions, has marked a major milestone for the sector with the maiden voyage of ‘Brands Hatch’, the first newbuild tanker installed with BAR Technologies’ WindWings®. On 8th September, the ship made her first European port call in Rotterdam.
‘Brands Hatch’ achieved significant fuel savings while maintaining strong sailing speeds in challenging weather. In favourable conditions, the vessel achieved more than a third of its propulsion from wind power alone, even while fully laden, proving the ability of the WindWings® technology to deliver not only impressive peak results but also reliable efficiency over extended periods.
Working closely with her charterers, Union Maritime also employed sail-aware weather routing from Ascenz Marorka on this voyage, delivering substantial savings beyond those possible with traditional routing methods. Whilst on global routes each WindWing® will save an average of 1.5 tonnes of fuel per wing per day - during this first voyage Brands Hatch saw her three WindWings® replace 12.8 tonnes of fuel in just 24 hours – that’s 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 a full 6 hours. This is an extraordinary result that underscores the long-term potential of wind-assisted performance at scale.
‘Brands Hatch’ leads Union Maritime’s rollout of a groundbreaking 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 innovative wind propulsion systems at a worldwide scale.
Laurent Cadji, Managing Director at Union Maritime, said: “This milestone voyage with ‘Brands Hatch’ is a proud moment for Union Maritime and a clear demonstration of our leadership in bringing innovative, sustainable solutions to global shipping. The early performance results highlight the real-world potential of wind-assisted propulsion, and we are pleased to be proving its commercial and environmental value at scale. Our collaboration with BAR Technologies on the deployment of WindWings® is an important part of this journey, and together with our partners we are setting a new standard for efficiency, compliance and responsibility across the industry.”
John Cooper from BAR Technologies added: “The arrival of ‘Brands Hatch’ in Europe really is a landmark moment, not just for us, but for everyone committed to driving maritime sustainability forward through wind propulsion. This is the first time a vessel built from the ground up with WindWings® has completed a full ocean passage, proving that wind propulsion is ready for commercial-scale use. What makes this even more significant is the collaboration behind it. We’re proud to have worked with Union Maritime and their partners to bring this to life, not only delivering innovation but delivering results.
“On her maiden voyage, ‘Brands Hatch’ shows what we’ve believed from the start: that WindWings® are a practical, scalable solution to shipping’s decarbonisation challenge. They were never just a concept for the future; they’re delivering exactly as we always knew they would.”