Bulker Demonstrates Wind Propulsion Integrated with Solar Power
Demonstrations are underway on an innovative power solution retrofitted to an ultramax bulker as part of a four-year research project to advance modular retrofit solutions to reduce GHG emissions from the long-distance maritime industry. The project, named WHISPER, recently completed the installation of a rigid wingsail and solar panels on the dry bulk carrier Maria Tipoc as the first of two demonstrations, which will also involve a containership.
The 60,155-dwt bulker was recently retrofitted by Tsuneiship Shipbuilding and is currently sailing trans-Pacific to Vancouver, testing the systems. It included the first installation of the French company OceanWings’ tiltable rigid wingsail on a bulker. It is also the final installation of Solibian’s solar panels, after a previous prototype test aboard the sistership Paolo Topic in March 2024. Building on that experience, it later installed additional panels as part of the WHISPER project in 2025.
The rigid, tiltable OceanWings system is intended to reduce the power required from the vessel's main engine and, consequently, fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. Solbian's solar panels supply renewable electricity for onboard use and contribute to WHISPER's wider objective of reducing demand on auxiliary generation.
With ongoing sea trials, the project now moves from installation to evidence gathering. The trials will examine system performance in real operating conditions, including energy production, fuel-saving potential, reliability, vessel integration, and the implications for routine ship and port operations. It is part of the work plan that called for generating operational evidence on how modular technologies can be retrofitted to existing vessels while preserving the safety, reliability, and operational flexibility
required in commercial shipping.
The sea trials on board the Maria Topic, the project leaders report, will help the consortium confirm the expected performance of both technologies in day-to-day operations and validate the potential for wider replication across the existing merchant fleet. The resulting evidence will inform technical development, future vessel integration, lifecycle assessment, and the project's work on pathways to commercial uptake.
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The WHISPER (Wind Energy Harvesting for Ship Propulsion Assistance and Power) project began in January 2023 and runs until December 31, 2026. It brings together 13 partners from six European countries, and it received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe program. It focuses on the retrofitting of existing vessels and concept designs. WHISPER aims to demonstrate around 30 percent fuel savings on a retrofit bulk carrier and up to 15 percent on a retrofit containership.
The test on a containership will take place aboard a Samskip vessel. Preparations are reported to be underway, where SideWind’s horizontal wind turbines and Solbian’s solar panels will be installed on board a Samskip container ship. One innovation within WHISPER is the installation of Solbian’s solar panels directly onto SideWind’s horizontal wind turbines. As the wind turbines are located in repurposed containers with two sides removed, the container roof provides an ideal surface for installing solar panels.