Sweden and Norway-based global ro-ro shipping and vehicle logistics company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, and project partners, have secured Horizon Europe funding totalling EUR 9 million to support building a ro-ro sailing vessel.
All aspects of planning, building, and operating a wind-powered vessel, the Orcelle Wind, will be done over the next five years.
"The Horizon Europe EU funding shows the concept stood up to the scrutiny of the EU funding authorities and that they had the confidence to give it their support,” Roger Strevens, VP global sustainability at Wallenius Wilhelmsen said.
The grant of EUR 9m is divided between 11 partners - all bringing something unique to the table. Together, they represent a 360-degree perspective on wind propulsion – including weather routing, vessel design, supply chain orchestration, and crew training to test rig installation on an existing vessel. The project’s scope is to make the Orcelle Wind ready for commercial trading.
“The EU funding project is based on a collaborative approach – we need strong partners to lead the way to zero emissions as soon as possible. We are proud to have a group of the best technical, operational, and academic partners, as well as one of our key customers, for the project. All have committed to working together to help make Orcelle Wind a reality,” Strevens said.
The EU project presents an opportunity to combine the investments needed for full-scale demonstration and data capture with advanced models and tools for wing propulsion vessels. Beyond the demonstrator’s vessel, the partners will use the models and tools to develop advanced conceptual designs and operational plans for multiple vessel types to apply the wing solution.
