The joint industry project convenes shipping companies, technology providers, and ship classification authorities to standardize performance predictions for ships fitted with wind propulsion technology
Vaisala today announced it has joined the WiSP 3 project, a joint industry collaboration initiated by Maritime Research Institute Netherlands, MARIN, to advance wind-assisted shipping as a viable solution for reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency in the maritime industry. As the global leader in measurement instruments and intelligence for climate action, Vaisala is delivering its state-of-the-art wind lidar systems for critical sea trials that will test and validate wind-assisted ship propulsion technologies.
In addition to performance validation, the WiSP 3 project aims to update the regulatory framework — including the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), and FuelEU — to enable fair comparisons of fuel savings and emission reductions across the maritime industry.
“Due to the critical role of wind data accuracy for wind-based propulsion, current methods for performance validation sea trials prove inadequate. One of our desired outcomes is establishing wind lidar as the standardized solution for wind-assisted vessel performance validation sea trials,” said Mikko Nikkanen, Head of Maritime, Weather and Environment at Vaisala. “By providing reliable, undisturbed wind data, our WindCube lidar suite can help ensure accurate assessments of these innovative propulsion systems and provide a better understanding of the ship’s performance under various wind conditions on different vessel types.”
By comparing undisturbed wind data from the lidar instrument with wind anemometer-based measurements, researchers and WASP system providers can determine optimal wind propulsion algorithms, ensuring peak performance and enhanced energy efficiency of the systems.
Additionally, WiSP 3 will research the impact of unsteady weather conditions on the performance of wind propulsion systems to better understand the further development needs for an automated safety release mechanism. The aim is to enhance the safety of WASP technologies by enabling safety releases in response to high winds or wind shear events.
WiSP 3, which will run until April 2026, brings together 32 esteemed partners. Confirmed participants beyond Vaisala include ABS, Alfa Wall Oceanbird AB, Anemoi, Blue Wasp, Bound4Blue, Carnival Maritime, CMA CGM, CMHK, Cosco Shipping, CMHK, CWS MOREL, FINOCEAN LTD., Indian Register of Shipping (IR Class), International Windship Association (IWSA), Lloyd’s Register, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs SAS (LDA), MARIN, Marshall Islands Registry, Mauric, MTI co. Ltd., Norsepower, Petrobras, Union Maritime, and Vicusdt.
For more information about Vaisala’s role in wind-assisted ship propulsion and the WiSP 3 project, visit vaisala.com/en/lp/wind-assisted-vessels-future-cleaner-shipping and marin.nl/en/jips/wisp-3.
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Kendra Westerkamp, Comprise
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