Oceanbird unveils first rigid wing sail

The first wing sail from Oceanbird, a joint venture between Alfa Laval and Wallenius Lines, has been installed at Oresund Drydocks in Landskrona, Sweden at an inauguration ceremony. The permanent ‘Wing 560’ installation will be used for crew training, customer visits, and optimisation of the automation system, the partners said.

They are now preparing for the first installation of the 40m-high wing on board the 8,000-TEU vehicle carrier, Tirranna, early in 2026. The foundations for the sail were installed on board the vessel at a recent docking in China. With a breadth of 14m, the foldable sail, which can also be tilted, will have a surface area of 560 m²  and is expected to reduce the ship’s fuel consumption and emissions by up to 10%.

Oceanbird was set up more than three years ago and has been working on the wind power technology since then. The sail is made of high-strength steel and the aerodynamic surface is a sandwich construction of glass fibre composites and recycled plastic.

“This is truly a milestone,” declared Sweden’s Minister of Infrastructure, Andreas Carlson, speaking at the event. “Together we are advancing towards fossil-free shipping.”

Oceanbird’s interim CEO and head of R&D, said: “We had a clear mission: to prove that wind can once again play a significant role in powering ships. After roughly three years of hard work and long days, we are standing here with the first prototype of the Wing 560 sail, ready to show it to you – to the world – and to  take orders.”