London – September 29, 2022: The International Windship Association (IWSA) is asking all industry players with an interest in wind-assisted propulsion solutions to ‘save the date’ for the 3rd Annual Wind Propulsion Conference.

Hosted by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), in association with IWSA, the conference will be held on February 16-17,2023 at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London.

Since the inaugural conference in 2019, the annual event has attracted a high level of interest in the maritime community. Attending speakers and delegates span technology companies, academia, ship owners and industry associations.

The 2023 conference agenda promises to bring those attending fully up to speed with recent technological, design and policy developments, and cast the minds of attendees into the future landscape for wind propulsion technology. 

IWSA has welcomed a huge rise in its membership over the past few years, reflecting the industry’s attentions turning to the wind as a long-term solution for lowering the carbon footprint of shipping operations.

Twenty-one large commercial ships are currently sailing with the ability to harness the power of the wind, representing a combined cargo carrying capacity of over one million DWT.

Based on public announcements and shipyard orders made to-date, IWSA estimates that by the end of 2023, up to fifty large ships will be making use of wind as a renewable energy source with a combined tonnage of over three million DWT.

IWSA Secretary General, Gavin Allwright, says: “We are delighted to once again work with RINA to deliver this impactful conference.

The 150 plus members and  supporters of IWSA have confirmed new projects, installations, pending order confirmations or the forging of new partnerships every week during 2022 so far.

As more systems are installed, and as more demonstrator vessels are launched the price and ROI of wind-assist technology is coming down. Wind propulsion is coming of age, and it is a ‘Now’ solution to a very ‘Immediate’ problem.”

Dmitriy Ponkratov, Technical Director, Royal Institution of Naval Architects, says: “The RINA Wind Propulsion Conference provides the industry with the ideal forum to get up to speed with the latest wind propulsion technology and market developments.

This is technology that is going onboard ships and saving ship operators significant amounts of fuel. It is a credible, viable and increasingly economic decarbonisation solution in shipping.”

Members of the conference steering committee, led by IWSA Secretary General, Gavin Allwright will select fifteen high-quality papers from the fields of technology development, systems and vessel design, testing, innovation, business cases and finance for presentation at the conference.

The deadline for paper submission is November 30, 2022

Find out more about the 3rd Wind Propulsion Conference here: https://www.rina.org.uk/Wind_Propulsion_2023.html

International Windship Association (IWSA):

Facilitates and promotes wind propulsion solutions for commercial shipping worldwide and brings together all parties in the development of a wind ship sector to shape industry and government attitudes and policies.

IWSA is a member driven, not-for-profit association made up of wind propulsion technology suppliers and ship development projects, shipping lines, shipbuilders, designers, naval architects, engineers, academics, NGO’s, and Class with five main areas of activity:

The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA):

Founded in 1860 in London to “advance the art and science of ship design” today the Royal Institution of Naval Architects is a world renowned and highly respected international professional institution and learned society whose members are involved at all levels in the design, construction, maintenance and operation of all marine vessels and structures.

The Institution has members in over ninety countries, and is widely represented in industry, universities and colleges, and maritime organisations worldwide.