en.Wedoany.com Reported - The "Advanced Wind Energy System Optimization and Efficiency Monitoring" project (AWESOME), funded under the EU's Horizon Europe framework, has officially launched. The project aims to reduce technical uncertainties of Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS) in shipping applications by providing validated tools, standardized methods, and real performance data, helping shipowners and regulators make more informed investment decisions, thereby accelerating the adoption of cost-effective emission reduction solutions in the maritime industry.
Led by Kongsberg Maritime, the project is implemented jointly with 14 European partners. It brings together resources from industry, industrial clusters, and research institutions to address the technical, operational, and regulatory barriers currently limiting the wider application of wind propulsion technology. Kjerstin Kleyne Braaten, Senior Vice President of Emerging Solutions at Kongsberg Maritime, stated that wind-assisted propulsion is one pathway to achieving compliant and cost-efficient shipping, and the AWESOME project represents an important step towards scaling up this technology.
Through practical validation and deep integration with onboard systems, the project will make wind propulsion a viable and scalable solution for maritime emission reduction. By combining transparent performance verification with holistic control and automation, the project will help fleets meet emerging regulatory frameworks such as FuelEU Maritime and future IMO standards, enabling shipowners to postpone the adoption of costly low-carbon fuels.
To address the slow adoption of WAPS due to uncertainties in performance, cost, and operational impact, the core work of AWESOME includes two full-scale demonstrators: one is a retrofit case, using an Odfjell chemical tanker to demonstrate how WAPS can be integrated into existing vessels; the other is a newbuild case, the Neoliner Origin (Neoline), showcasing optimization of the technology from the design stage. These demonstrations will provide the consortium with reliable real-world operational data, validate performance models, and test advanced methods for measuring thrust and fuel savings. Jan Opedal, Project Manager at Odfjell, noted that wind-assisted propulsion has already yielded practical results at Odfjell, and through the AWESOME project, operational experience will be transformed into knowledge that can be disseminated across the industry.
Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General of the Waterborne Technology Platform, pointed out that Europe is currently the global leader in wind-assisted propulsion technology, and the AWESOME project, by pooling public and private resources, will ensure the large-scale deployment of this technology. The project will also improve how WAPS performance is measured, documented, and recognized, and generate knowledge relevant to crew, operators, and future regulatory developments.
The AWESOME project brings together 15 European partners, covering the entire maritime value chain from design and simulation to onboard control, crew training, performance validation, and market adoption. Specific collaborators include: technology developer and system integrator Kongsberg Maritime (Norway, project coordinator), Syroco (France), bound4blue (Spain), and Chantiers de l'Atlantique (France); shipowners and operators Odfjell SE (Norway) and NEOLine (France); research partners SINTEF Ocean (Norway), SINTEF Digital (Norway), NTUA (Greece), and MARIN (Netherlands); design and engineering company MAURIC (France); classification and verification body DNV (Norway and Germany); and decarbonization and dissemination center Maritime CleanTech (Norway).
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