State of the Art in Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion for Maritime Decarbonisation and Sustainable Shipping: A Systematic Review

“Abstract

The advent of modern wind propulsion systems (WPS) to answer contemporary and forthcoming regulatory requirements to reduce shipping emissions has prompted the development of multiple technologies, ranging from sails to rotating cylinders, to kites. However, as the benefits of WPS for wind-assisted ships are still based on predictions due to the lack of operational, on-water data, the most promising technologies and areas of future research remain unclear. Moreover, the lack of consistent research methodologies and test conditions has led to large reported divergences in the potential of WPS in the literature. Consequently, to ascertain the comparative potential of WPS to reduce shipping emissions and present the state of the art in wind propulsion for ships, a systematic review is undertaken, with the aim to quantify the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions associated with each type of WPS. The systematic literature review methodology ensures unbiased results, while accurately reporting the latest research developments in the field. Here we quantify the benefits of WPS, with an average 17% reduction in CO2 emissions, with an interquartile range from 7.5% to 22.5%. Moreover, we identify Flettner rotors as both the most studied and most commonly installed WPS, and note a discrepancy for suction wings, with a large share of installed WPS, but only very little published research. Additionally, we critically appraise current practices in the analysis of WPS, ranging from true wind and ship speed to the vessel type and size. These findings provide a novel and holistic overview of wind propulsion of ships, as well as the first systematic review on the topic, allowing an unbiased assessment of wind propulsion for ships. It is anticipated that these results may inform future research directions in sustainable shipping, and inform policymakers on the benefits of wind propulsion to meet emission regulations. Moreover, recommendations for more consistent reporting of WPS studies have been provided to support future global research and enable quantitative comparison across all published work.”

 

The full report is accessible via: https://doi.org/10.5957/jst/2025.10.1.258 

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