BAR tests WindWings on cargo ships

Wind moves ships by adding forward push, like an airplane wing turned upright, and BAR Technologies is now selling that idea as a retrofit for commercial cargo vessels. (bartechnologies.uk) BAR’s WindWings are rigid, three-element wings that adjust their shape and angle to the apparent wind, the airflow a moving ship actually feels at sea. The company says the system is designed to bolt onto existing ships rather than require a new vessel design. (bartechnologies.uk) The best-documented test so far was on the Pyxis Ocean, an 81,000-deadweight-ton bulk carrier chartered by Cargill and fitted with two 37.5-meter WindWings. The ship began its maiden voyage with the system in August 2023. (cargill.com) Cargill said on March 13, 2024 that the six-month Pyxis Ocean trial delivered fuel savings consistent with BAR’s forecast, averaging 3 tonnes of fuel per day. Cargill said that equated to up to 11 tonnes per day on some routes. (cargill.com) A separate validation from classification society DNV said that, in favorable conditions, the two wings on Pyxis Ocean cut main-engine energy use by 32 percent per nautical mile. That finding covered the same vessel and gave BAR an outside check on the trial data. (renewableenergymagazine.com) BAR has since moved from a single pilot ship to commercial orders. In September 2025, the company said two 250-meter LR2 tankers, Suzuka and Long Beach, would each be built with two 37.5-meter WindWings for delivery in the first quarter of 2027. (marinelog.com) The timing lines up with tighter climate pressure on shipping. The International Maritime Organization’s 2023 strategy calls for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by or around 2050, with checkpoints for 2030 and 2040. (dnv.com) Shipping’s fuel problem is large enough that even partial savings matter. International shipping produces about 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to legal and policy summaries of the sector’s climate rules. (chambers.com) BAR says WindWings can be feathered into a low-drag position and are designed for worldwide routes rather than a single weather pattern. In May 2025, the company’s 37.5-meter system also received Type Approval Design Certification from Bureau Veritas, a step used to show compliance with class rules before wider deployment. (bartechnologies.uk, marineindustrynews.co.uk) The bet is simple: keep the diesel engine, add a wind device that can be retrofitted, and cut fuel burn on voyages that still depend on fossil fuel. The Pyxis Ocean trial gave BAR its proof point; the tanker orders show whether shipowners think the math works beyond a demonstration. (cargill.com, marinelog.com)