Lomarlabs, the venture catalyst created by UK-based shipping company Lomar, is collaborating with Ireland’s Advanced Wing Systems to advance the adaptation of its sail technology into a containerised, automated system.
Advanced Wing Systems is a pioneer of semi-rigid wing sails, offering many of the aerodynamic advantages of rigid wings but with fewer operational constraints. Its sails have powered yachts across thousands of nautical miles of ocean and even supported America’s Cup racing campaigns.
Today, Advanced Wing Systems is scaling its wings for merchant ships.
While traditional wind-assist technologies require heavy retrofits and dry dock installation, Advanced Wing Systems is pursuing an adapted and containerised, modular approach for commercial shipping.
Containerisation changes the game for wind propulsion
Once deployed from a standard 40-foot container, its collapsible wing sails use artificial intelligence to optimise the wing sail for the precise wind conditions. The sails can then be retracted when not in use, ensuring no interference with port operations.
This flexibility allows shipowners to trial wind propulsion without permanent and costly vessel modifications. They can lease the new Advanced Wing Systems’ solution, much like they would lease cold-ironing transformers or portable diesel generators for their other operational needs.
Greg Johnston, CEO of Advanced Wing Systems, said: “Containerisation changes the game for wind propulsion. It means shipowners can trial this system without the need to take their vessel out of trading, without capital risk, and without compromising operations. For the first time, wind technology can adapt to the needs of commercial shipping rather than the other way around.”
Stylianos Papageorgiou, managing director of lomarlabs, said: “At lomarlabs, we help founders turn bold ideas into working, scalable solutions. Without an agreement for a global carbon tax on ship emissions, the business case for shipowners to adopt efficiency solutions only supports those technologies that deliver a return on investment from the fuel savings they generate. Advanced Wing Systems represents exactly that kind of breakthrough: practical, modular, and commercially viable. This is about more than technology; it’s proving that decarbonisation can be achieved in ways that work for shipowners and charterers, not just regulators.”
