A British company has unveiled a new conceptual design for a commercial ship which uses a combination of wind-assist, solar and carbon capture achieve “true zero” emissions.

Windship Technology calls its design “The Tesla of the Seas,” featuring a 48-meter-tall triple-wing rigs which can be stowed on deck to help with navigation in height-restricted waterways. Its diesel-electric drive system will also incorporate large solar arrays, carbon capture, an optimized hull, and specialized weather routing software into the overall design package to eliminate CO2, NOX, SOX and particulate matter to “True Zero”.

The design, which is currently applicable to bulk carriers and oil tankers, was developed by Windship Technologies’ Technical Director, Simon Rogers, whose team tested the design at the renowned Wolfson Unit at the University of Southampton.

“The holistic approach demonstrated in this solution whereby wind power, solar power and the reduction of harmful exhaust emissions to effectively zero, are all brought together, means that at last there is a design solution that the International Maritime Organisation can champion to achieve its requirements for ‘at least’ zero carbon shipping,” said Philip Wilson, former Professor of Ship Dynamics at the Ship Science Department at the University of Southampton.

Windship has now also partnered with international classification society DNV to further develop its concept.

“Working with DNV is a major step towards proving true zero emission status. The industry cannot sit back any longer. The clock is ticking and regulation will force a new approach for an industry that is traditionally hesitant to change. Shipping is not fit for purpose in the future. Shipping and oil companies are the only major industries still increasing their emissions and must change and think differently if it is to have any hope of reaching the emissions targets set out in law.”

Per Marius Berrefjord, Senior Vice President of DNV, had this to say about the technology:

“We are delighted to be working with such experienced professionals at Windship Technology in a project which aims to help transform the entire shipping industry to True Zero. We will work closely with the project team in a fully transparent manner as we now initiate the work to establish a simulation model that will help us verify the GHG emission reduction capability of the technology. We are also preparing for a HAZID that shall verify the safety and operability of ships with Windship Technology installed. These activities will be followed by further verification activities as the project moves forward. Windship is supplying information in a fully transparent manner, and DNV will ensure a thorough verification process. We are looking forward to dive deeper into the very interesting technology presented by Windship.”