Swedish company Oceanbird to install two wing sails on a car carrier in 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Oceanbird plans to install two wing sails on the car carrier M/V Way Forward in 2027. The vessel is chartered by Volkswagen Konzernlogistik, and this installation will mark Oceanbird's first multi-wing sail deployment.

The first Oceanbird wing sail was installed on the Tirranna in June 2026 and has been operating as expected. A third-party organization will verify performance data in the autumn. In Landskrona, Oceanbird's factory is assembling two additional wing sails for use on the M/V Way Forward.

Amrit Kaur Bhullar, CEO of Oceanbird, stated that the company's original goal is to drive zero-emission shipping with high-performance wing sails: a single set of wing sails can propel a vessel on windier routes while cutting fuel consumption by half across the entire voyage. In her view, this multi-wing sail installation is a significant step toward the vision of wind as the primary propulsion for ships.

The M/V Way Forward was built by Wallenius Marine in 2024 and has been in operation for nearly two years since being chartered by Volkswagen Konzernlogistik, holding the highest CII rating of A. Adding wing sails will help improve the vessel's environmental performance and also allow for the accumulation of data and experience from the commercial operation of wind-assisted propulsion. Wallenius Marine has a long history in innovative ship design, and this retrofit is part of its efforts to explore new technologies and enhance overall operational efficiency.

Johan Mattsson, CEO of Wallenius Marine, stated that wind energy will become a key fossil-free propulsion source in future shipping. By installing wing sails on its own vessels, the company is moving this vision from concept to actual operations while accelerating the development of a more sustainable fleet.

For Oceanbird, this project demonstrates growing industry confidence in wind propulsion to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in commercial shipping. Bhullar also noted that wind propulsion solutions have gained favor from both shipowners and charterers; innovators are driving the sustainable shipping transformation, and Oceanbird is proud to be part of it.