In a ground-breaking collaboration, Isle of Wight-based Carisbrooke Shipping is joining forces with GT Green Technologies and The University of Bristol to spearhead a revolutionary shift in commercial shipping. Thanks to a substantial £3.7million grant win from the Department for Transport (DfT), Carisbrooke is set to install a 20m AirWing unit on 1 of its UK-registered vessels, Vectis Progress, marking a significant leap towards sustainable and eco-friendly maritime practices. At the heart of this transformation is AirWing, a cutting-edge wind propulsion solution designed by GT Green Technologies. This innovative technology, boasting patent-pending airflow manipulation, promises to maximize thrust output while maintaining a compact and lightweight profile. Particularly crucial for general cargo ships with limited deck space, AirWing addresses the urgent need for sustainable shipping solutions. With oversight of the technical management of a global fleet comprising 27 vessels, Carisbrooke Shipping are strategically positioned as the trailblazer for integrating AirWing technology. Captain Simon Merritt, Senior Fleet Manager at Carisbrooke Shipping, shared his enthusiasm for this pioneering move, saying:
“We’ve been in talks with GT Green for the past two years and are thrilled to be prototyping their AirWing concept in 2024. The utilisation of AirWing technology will reduce operating costs through lower fuel consumption and emissions (the expected range can be 5 – 30% depending on the configuration), further enhance the vessel’s green credentials and alleviate the tax burden for our ship operators. The installation will take place on one of our UK-registered vessels, with all design and construction carried out right here in the UK.”
Adding academic prowess to this collaboration is The University of Bristol, contributing expertise in composite structures testing and modelling. Tobias Laux, Research Associate at the university, emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary research in fluid dynamics, structures, and ship science to fully harness the potential of wind propulsion. This project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK. In March 2022, the UK Government announced the biggest government investment ever in our UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206m to UK SHORE, a new programme within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonising the maritime sector. UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions throughout 2022-2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero. The UK SHORE programme includes the flagship multi-year Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) which provides match-funding to help bring pre-commercial technologies closer to market readiness. CMDC4 allocated £33m to 33 projects across the UK to deliver demonstrations, pre-deployment trials and feasibility studies between April 2024 – March 2025. CMDC4 follows the successful first three rounds of the CMDC, which allocated over £95million to 105 projects. CMDC1 was launched in 2021, prior to UK SHORE.
