Houlder to participate in wing sail project

London-based engineering consultancy, Houlder, is to assist in system integration and subsequent performance monitoring of a Winds of Change wing sail installation led by Smart Green Shipping (SGS). The project involves the retrofit of a SGS FastRig sail aboard a large vessel. 

Supported by the UK Department of Transport as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3), the project involves partners including Argo Engineering, Caley Ocean Systems, Drax, Houlder, Humphreys Yacht Design, Lloyd’s Register, Malin Group, MOL Drybulk, SGS, and the University of Southampton.

Houlder will carry out a survey of the ship and then analyse the feasibility of the FastRig sail installation, ensuring that safety issues, regulations and classification society requirements are all addressed. The consultants will then work with Malin Group and Caley Ocean Systems on modifications to the vessel and the sail installation.

Diane Gilpin, CEO of SGS, said: "We are pleased to have received backing from the UK Department of Transport, via CMDC3, for our Winds of Change project. We look forward to continuing to highlight the value and safety of our FastRig wing sail to the shipping industry, particularly as we complete ongoing key project milestones. One such milestone is the calculation and verification of the fuel savings, and resulting emissions reductions offered by FastRig. We are grateful to have Houlder’s support in this and throughout the project."

Houlder’s project director, Arun Pillai, commented: "At Houlder, we have extensive experience in innovative design and engineering projects with sustainability at their core. We recently interviewed shipowners on maritime clean technology adoption – and a lack of accurate, verifiable and thorough performance data was a key barrier to commercialisation. Together, we are making sure that the performance data of the innovative FastRig wing sail is useful and dependable."