Smart Green Shipping, the wind-assist technology company, has concluded its latest round of sea trials in UK waters. The ship conducting the trials in collaboration with the company docked at the Scottish port of Greenock earlier this week, demonstrating the entirely Scottish-manufactured FastRig wingsail.
The ship, the PNTL Pacific Grebe, is spending time alongside at Greenock for project partners, the Scottish government, ship owners and financiers to see the technology in action for the first time. The round of monitored sea trials will conclude in November. The exercises around the UK will independently verify the fuel-saving potential of FastRig technology ahead of its first commercial installation in 2025.
Energetic customer waiting for the wings
Although Smart Green Shipping is based in the west of England, the project has gained the support of the Scottish Parliament. A funding package has been made available, which has helped facilitate the development of the experimental rig. The 20-metre high lightweight, retrofittable, and recyclable “FastRig” wingsail has been entirely manufactured at engineering facilities in Glasgow.
During the sea trials, data is being collated to corroborate lab-based modelling. Academic research is being carried out by the University of Southampton, which specialises in marine technology. Desk-based evaluation predicted that fuel and greenhouse gas savings with FastRig could be up to 30% per year on transatlantic routes. That prospect has drawn the attention of the energy company Drax, which imports sustainable wood pellets from North America to fuel the power station complex in the north of England. Drax has backed Smart Green Shipping with a GB£1m (US$1.3m) cash injection.
Green jobs and wealth for Scotland
FastRig is manufactured by a collaboration between Scottish engineering companies 360Energy (formerly Caley Ocean Group) and Malin Group. The project has also received investment from Scottish Enterprise, co-investing alongside one of the world’s leading shipping companies, MOL Drybulk, and won a £1.8 million research and development grant. The UK Department for Transport estimates that up to 40,000 ships worldwide are suitable for wind-powered propulsion. According to Lloyds Register, the uptake of wind-assist technology to decarbonise global shipping is at a tipping point. Smart Green Shipping will begin its first commercial installations on vessels in 2025.
“Global shipping emits around 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions, that is more than countries like Germany or Brazil and emissions from the sector are still rising,” said Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, and who represents the Glasgow constituency where the manufacturing took place.
He is eager to see the technology turned into an economic success story. “This is a global export opportunity for Scotland that will enable a hard-to-decarbonise sector to deploy powerful, close-to-market technology that saves money and fuel costs. This will create good green jobs and wealth for Scotland.”
“The world is at a critical climate juncture and we must play our role in driving down emissions in shipping, explained Diane Gilpin, the CEO of Smart Green Shipping. “Wind-assist solutions are key to reducing shipping emissions in line with science. Scotland has been an integral part of our journey to develop Smart Green Shipping’s technology. We will continue to collaborate with its high-quality manufacturing and engineering expertise as we go to scale production.”