At the 2021 Movin’On Summit (June 1 to 4, 2021), Michelin presented two innovations regarding the future of mobility. One of those is the Wing Sail Mobility Project (WISAMO) where you can clearly recognize the puffy Michelin man in the sails mounted on a cargo ship.

The WISAMO is a wing sail system that can be fitted on merchant ships and pleasure craft. The wing harnesses the wind, a resource that we will never run out of, making it the perfect solution to reduce the fuel consumption of big cargo ships.

Cargo shipping is responsible for nearly 3% of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and ships are a significant source of toxic air pollution in ports and coastal communities. To this day, more and more shipowners realize they could help reduce the pollution in the maritime industry. The sails are suitable for all types of ships, whether they are already in use or not, adding to this the mast is retractable and the sails are inflatable making it easy to implement and use. These sails can be seen as “wings” (also used for kitesurfing) and its range is one of the best in the market as research shows that they can be used on every maritime shipping route.
This system will have a positive impact on CO2 emissions within the maritime industry as they are likely to improve a ship’s fuel efficiency by up to 20%, depending on the vessel, the route or weather conditions.

Currently, about fifteen vessels are sailing with these wind-assisted propulsion devices and the goal is set for 2022 to have about 40 vessels going around the world setting an important start to make a change in an industry that’s relied almost exclusively on diesel power over the past century.

Platform Zero’s Take: To see such changes happen within an industry where change is necessary for a better and more sustainable future is very inspirational. Instead of using a resource that will eventually run out they made the decision to use a resource we have known our entire lives and that we will never run out on which shows that they are truly willing to take the next step and make the industry less polluting.

According to Gavin Allwright, secretary of the international wind ship organization, investors will be likely to invest once the trials are to be successful in 2022. But we will need more than only investors to be able to implement this new technology into the international maritime industry. Allwright says that there needs to be regulations that encourage everyone in the industry to implement the sails. The regulations would need to encourage decarbonization by – for example – taxing the CO2 emissions and turning the taxes into grants to help companies pay for wings, kites, or sails.

At Platform Zero we believe that this would be the best way to invest this money and make sure we’re moving towards a more sustainable future!