Let´s present: The first Oceanbird Wing! – The Oceanbird
The 40-metre-high wing rose into the sky, shielding the late August sun as it unfolded its two segments and showed off a full rotation. Aside from being a new landmark in Landskrona, Southern Sweden, it will be an important site for crew training, customers visits and optimisation of the automation system. On the 25th of August 2025, Wing 560 was officially launched.
“We need pioneers who are willing to take risks, to innovate and to lead the way into the green industrial transformation and this is a great example of leadership. Oceanbird stands as proof of this success” said Andreas Carlson, Sweden’s Minister of Infrastructure and Housing at the inauguration.
3 years intensive R&D work
The Oceanbird company was formed 3,5 years ago as a joint venture between Alfa Laval and Wallenius Lines. They have developed a rigid, 40-metre high and 14-metre-wide wing sail. The core is made of high strength steel, and the aerodynamic surface is a sandwich construction of glass fibre composites and 370,000 recycled plastic bottles.
“We had a clear mission: to prove that wind can once again play a significant role in powering ships. After roughly three years of hard work and long days, we are standing here with the first prototype of the Wing 560 sail, ready to show it to you — to the world — and to take orders” said Magnus MackAldener, interim CEO & Head of R&D at Oceanbird.
Twin wing to be installed onboard
The first wing sail will be permanently placed at the shipyard Oresund DryDocks in Landskrona. An identical second wing sail is being assembled during the autumn and will be installed on Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s vessel Tirranna in the beginning of 2026.
The demonstration is backed by Orcelle Horizon, an EU-funded project with 11 partners from industry and R&D across Europe. The project aims to push the boundaries of wind technologies to enable wind as main propulsion for RoRo vessels.
Read more and see all the photos on Oceanbird’s website!
Wing 560 cuts its own ribbon during inauguration on 25 August. Credit: Oceanbird
