Full Speed Ahead in Sweden

March 7, 2024

As the first big parts of the full-scale wing prototype have arrived in Landskrona, Sweden, it is full speed ahead for project partner Oceanbird. With the assembly underway, this clearly marks a shift from the design phase to realization.

The shiny white, 10-meter-long foundation sides that connect the wing sail with the ship deck, or the concrete base in Landskrona, laid steadily on the trailer when arriving at the yard this February. It was gently placed on the big welding area inside the assembly hall.

Vital parts for the first wing have arrived in the Landskrona test hall. Photo: Oceanbird.

“I’m excited today. For the past two years it has been PowerPoints, drawings and discussions with the suppliers. Now we will see the real components and can start the assembly. It’s getting real,” says Senior Product Manager Jonas Alvan.

Future crew training

The landbased prototype in Landskrona will serve several purposes:

Test and optimise assembly, to ensure an efficient operation when the RoRo vessel Tirranna will get her wing sail onboard
Optimise the automation system and trimming
Test the safety philosophy
Training facility for future crew

The assembly started in late February, and the prototype will move outdoors to the concrete base around summer.

Björn Ohlsson, Oceanbird´s site manager in Landskrona. Photo: Oceanbird.

“This is the moment of truth. We will see if the components fit together as we hope that they will do, and if our instructions and processes that we developed for the assembly, will work, says Landskrona site manager Björn Ohlsson and continues: “It will be some challenges, but having the opportunity to build a full-scale prototype will give us great opportunities for our continuous improvement work for coming generations of the wing sails.”

Foundation sides for the landbased wing. Photo: Oceanbird.

“Designing a wing sail from the start is extensive work, and a small change on one component can lead to a lot of changes on another component. It’s like an organism where you need to see the whole picture all the time. And as we are designing in a quite high pace, we are also manufacturing components at the same time” says Jonas Alván.

A twin for onboard installation

The Wing from Oceanbird is a central part of our EU-funded project.

During fall, the wing prototype will be up and running. A few months later, after necessary testing, a twin to the wing sail will be installed on Wallenius Wilhelmsen´s vessel Tirranna, making our first demonstrator vessel a reality. Results from the Tirranna retrofit will lay the basis of how we proceed with the multi-wing demonstrator, Orcelle Wind.

More information and a video from the testsite can be found on the Oceanbird website.