WASP: Run Wind Propulsion Technology real life trials on sea going ships in operation>showcase proven concepts>market adoption>green sea transport.

Gordon Wilmsmeier

Michele Acciaro

WASP experiments have potentials to reduce fuel consumption with 5 to 25% and is an potentially emerging after sales market. For a market adoption third party validation and proven concepts are needed to enable a viable business. The WASP`s project aims at connecting new and existing WASP real life trials, creating more credible data and preconditions leading to a market penetration of WASP`s solutions, thus greening NSR economy.
This project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is to investigate and promote the application of Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) technologies. It aims to promote the development and adoption of products, services and processes to accelerate a greening of the North Sea Region and to run WASP technology real life trials on sea going ships in operation, showcase proven concepts, market adoption, and thus support green(er) sea transport.

Shipping companies and policy-makers perceive the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies as a potential way toward the decarbonisation of the maritime transport sector. Wind assisted technologies seem a promising green option, as these can decrease the emissions produced by shipping operations through the fuel consumption reduction that can be achieved. This multi-million project aims to investigate and promote the application of such technologies in the North Sea region. The Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) project has a twofold objective. From one side, it focuses on the trial, monitoring, and evaluation of the operational performance of a selection of WASP technologies. From the other side, it aims at overcoming any business and regulatory barriers that hinder the adoption of such technologies. The project involves 15 partners and the Kühne Logistics University (KLU) with its Hapag-Lloyd Center for Shipping and Global Logistics is one of the key consortium members. Particularly, KLU leads the “Policy and viable business” work-package. Together with shipping companies, other academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and financial enterprises it focuses, among others aspects, on the economic implications of such technologies and on strategies and other incentives (e.g. financing solutions, policy interventions) in order to accelerate the uptake of WASP technologies.