Union Maritime has celebrated a milestone with the arrival of Brands Hatch, the first newbuild tanker fitted with BAR Technologies’ WindWings®. The vessel made her first European port call in Rotterdam on 8 September.
Brands Hatch proved the power of wind-assisted propulsion. In favourable conditions, more than a third of her propulsion came from wind alone, even while fully loaded. Using sail-aware weather routing from Ascenz Marorka, the ship saved 12.8 tonnes of fuel in 24 hours, cutting 13 tonnes of CO₂ per WindWing® per day. Peak savings topped 18 tonnes per day for six hours straight.
The ship is the first in Union Maritime’s rollout of a large fleet of wind-assisted vessels. Many will be fitted with WindWings® to meet global emissions rules through 2030.
Union Maritime led a joint project, AeroPower, with Anglo-Eastern, Synergy, Atlantas Ship Management, and BAR Technologies to prepare for safe and efficient adoption of the technology worldwide.
“This voyage shows the real potential of wind-assisted propulsion,” said Laurent Cadji, Managing Director at Union Maritime. “Together with BAR Technologies, we are setting new standards for efficiency, compliance, and sustainability.”
BAR Technologies CEO John Cooper called the ship’s arrival “a landmark moment.” He said Brands Hatch proves that WindWings® are “ready for commercial-scale use” and are already delivering results.
