A Swedish consortium that includes Wallenius Marine has designed Oceanbird, a five-masted sailing car carrier, that could have a huge impact on the development of modern commercial sail. The design is intended to be finished in 2021 with potential delivery by 2025.
Oceanbird is a revolutionary design. It is not a small vessel. Whereas another sailing ro/ro project is working toward building a ship with a capacity of fewer than 500 vehicles, the Oceanbird design is a full-sized car carrier, 200 meters long with a 40 meter beam, and a capacity to carry 7,000 vehicles. If built, Oceanbird will be the largest sailing cargo ship that the world has ever seen.
Most large sailing assist projects have been distinctly incremental. Twin Flettner rotors on the Long Range 2 product tanker, Maersk Pelican, for example, have succeeded in reducing fuel consumption by almost 10%, which is right within the predicted range of outcomes.
By contrast, Oceanbird is designed to cut emissions by 90%. The ship will have engines for maneuvering and light airs but is intended to be primarily a sailing ship. Oceanbird will be powered by five telescoping rigid wing sails that will tower 80 meters over the ship. By comparison, the main mast of the clipper ship Cutty Sark is 47 meters tall.
Oceanbird will not be as fast as her fossil-fueled sisters. The Oceanbird is designed to cross the North Atlantic in 12 days, whereas a conventional car carrier would cross in eight.
In addition to Wallenius Marine, which is controlled by the founding family of the Wallenius RoRo shipping group — the consortium includes Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology and shipping consultancy SSPA. The project is co-financed by the Swedish Transport Administration.
Wallenius Marine – Introducing Oceanbird
Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.
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