DNV GL awards AYRO AiP for Oceanwings wind assist system
DNV GL, the world’s leading classification society, has awarded AYRO an Approval in Principle (AiP) for its Oceanwings 3.6.3 wind assisted propulsion system for ships. The Oceanwings 3.6.3 system is designed to enable ship owners and operators to leverage wind energy to improve the energy balance of individual vessels and fleets, thereby significantly reducing carbon emissions, according to DNV GL's release.
As incoming maritime regulations are ramping up the pressure to improve sustainability and reduce emissions, maritime stakeholders are looking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and improve their EEDI or EEXI efficiency index, as part of efforts to comply with the IMO 2030 GHG strategy. The Oceanwings wind propulsion system is a 363 square meter 2-elements wingsail applicable for both newbuildings and in the retrofit of existing ships.
Following 10 years of research, a first prototype in 2017, and the industrial demonstrator Energy Observer in 2019, AYRO continues the development and industrial process of their system with the AiP from DNV GL. After a review of the main plans and documents of the Oceanwings 3.6.3 system against the relevant DNV GL rules for the classification of ships, DNV GL was able to issue an AiP statement confirming that no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized.
DNV GL has also recently developed a standard for the certification of wind assisted propulsion systems in response to enquiries for the independent assessment of those systems.
An Approval in Principle is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized. The AIP is typically carried out at an early stage of a project to confirm its feasibility towards the project team itself, company management, external investors or future regulators.