Hoglund Marine Takes Majority Stake in Wind-Assisted Car Carrier Project

Illustration courtesy Vindskip

Norway-based Hoglund Marine Solutions has taken a majority equity stake in Vindskip AS, a company that is developing an LNG-powered vehicle carrier with a unique hull shape meant to act as a sail.

Vindskip literally translates to “Wind ship” in english. The company’s main focus is in developing a concept design for a pure car and truck carrier that will combines both wind-assisted and LNG power. The conceptual design is already well regard in the field, having recently won the prestigious German Design Award 2020 in the category Excellent Product Design – Conceptual Transport.

Under the deal, Hoglund will take a two-thirds stake in Vindskip and draw on its expertise LNG and automation solutions to further develop the Vindskip design. Høglund will supply LNG fuel system, power management and automation technology.

Høglund provided more details of the Vindskip design in a press release:

“The unique Vindskip® design uses the shape of the hull to act like a sail, harnessing the wind to generate traction and provide auxillary propulsion, while also reducing aerodynamic drag by up to 75% compared to a traditional vessel design. The vessel will incorporate a weather routing module (WRM) that will calculate and recommend the most appropriate route for the vessel to take to harness the full potential of available wind conditions, optimising for fuel economy while meeting ETA. As well as using wind, the vessel concept will also be powered by a flexible hybrid electric-LNG propulsion system, which could use bio gas (LBG) to further reduce GHG emissions. Dynamic engine management – which Høglund will be instrumental in developing and supplying – will optimise engine output to minimise excess fuel burn according to wind conditions and maintain constant speed.”

The Vindskip design is advertised to emit 63% less CO2 and 96% less NOx than similar capacity car-carrying vessels currently in service. Høglund says s the market for low-emission and electric road vehicles market expands, the car carrying sector will need to reflect the manufacturers’ increasing focus on environmental sustainability.

Børge Nogva, President of Høglund, will become chairman of the board at Vindskip AS.

“With the pressure on shipping to reduce GHG emissions increasing, it is more important than ever to demonstrate how innovative we can be in meeting this critical environmental challenge,” said Nogva. “I’m delighted that Høglund’s role in the development of the Vindskip® concept has increased, which will allow us to collaborate and bring our expertise to this unique and innovative project. Wind-assisted propulsion has great potential – but it needs careful integration of hardware and software to realise.”

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 109,166 members