Carisbrooke Vectis Progress fitted with first GT Wings sail
The installation on Vectis Progress is the first by GT Wings (Source: GT Wings)
Carisbrooke Shipping general cargo vessel Vectis Progress has become the first vessel to be fitted with a GT Wings AirWing sail, at MMS Ship Repair & Dry Dock in Hull, UK.
The 20m-high sail is being retrofitted on the forecastle of the 11,183-dwt vessel, which was originally built in China in 2012.
The AirWing 20 sail features a swivelling wing sail with an articulating flap, made from composite materials supplied by KS Composites. It is expected to improve the vessel’s performance by 10%, though GT Wings suggests that as much as 30% is theoretically possible with a wing installation.
Wing sails work like an aircraft wing on its side, optimising the angle of attack to generate the maximum of lift in a horizontal, rather than vertical, direction. Using the flap, GT’s AirWing can optimise airflow over the wing to generate the best thrust to assist the vessel’s propulsion, and is designed to use AI to learn and self-optimise in real time.
GT Wings has secured some GBP 6 million in funding, including GBP 500,000 from Blackfinch Ventures and another GBP 500,000 from angel investors. The group also garnered a GBP 3.7 million grant from the UK Department of Transport, as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
