HD Hyundai's mid-level holding company for the institutional sector of shipbuilding, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said on the 12th it recently mounted a prototype of its self-developed wind-assisted propulsion device, the "Wing Sail," on a vessel and began sea trials. The move is seen as a strategy to preempt the next-generation eco-friendly ship market in response to the global decarbonization trend. A wing sail is a device that, like a sail, allows wind to be used as propulsion for a ship.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering plans to precisely analyze the operating characteristics of the wing sail in actual marine conditions through these sea trials and to secure data on fuel efficiency improvements and carbon emission reductions. The collected data will be used to advance the wind-assisted propulsion system and develop a commercial model.
The ship undergoing the trials is a 50,000-ton(t) class tanker operated by HMM. After installing the wing sail, which completed verification of structural safety and basic performance through onshore testing, trial runs confirmed normal operation. Inspection by the Korean Register (KR) has also been completed.
The wing sail is a large structure about 30 meters high and about 10 meters wide, with a focus on maximizing propulsion and improving operational convenience. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said it enhanced wind utilization efficiency by attaching auxiliary wings to both sides of the main wing and secured operational stability in various marine environments by applying a tilting function that allows the wings to fold during worsening weather or when passing under bridges.
An HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering official said, "As global decarbonization regulations tighten, wind-assisted propulsion technology that can maximize fuel efficiency is emerging as a core competitive edge for the future shipbuilding industry," and added, "We will successfully complete these sea trials and lead the eco-friendly ship solution market."