Kongsberg launches K-Sail to make the most of wind power

Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled a new system, K-Sail, to ensure that wind-assisted propulsion systems are integrated effectively with other shipboard systems to maximise potential energy and emission savings.

The K-Sail system incorporates various features to help in the choice of technology and the optimisation of systems on board including steering to accommodate additional thrust from sails, and propeller speed and alignment. Balancing power from sails with a ship’s energy requirements and using real-time data to optimise vessel routing are also key factors.

The Norwegian company’s Henrik Alpo Sjöblom, vice president, Business Concepts, explained: “Shipowners can choose their preferred type of wind assist technology. There are several available and they all have their own attributes. However, to date, these technologies, whether incorporated in a newbuild or retrofitted, are essentially an add-on technology. We believe they can be used in a much more effective way.

"K-Sail is a solution where we make different ship equipment play with each other, better,” he continued.  “Putting a sail on a ship is of course not new. But the essence of using it successfully lies in the integration of these sails into the ship's systems.”

A pilot project undertaken with Swedish tanker company, Terntank, has increased fuel savings on the first of five wind-assisted vessels from a first estimated 9% to 15% as a direct result of the K-Sail installation, Kongsberg Maritime said during last week’s Nor-Shipping.