About
Oceanfoil has developed a high-tech form of rigid sail to be installed on large merchant ships of all kinds. The sail structure in question, similar to the rigid carbon-fiber sails now used in the America's Cup races, consists of three aircraft-type wings turned onto their end and which encompass the aerodynamic qualities of an aircraft wing surface. These structures are generally known as “wingsails”. Preliminary results have shown that deploying Oceanfoil’s wingsails could result in an increase in thrust of up to 20 percent. Given that the average bulk vessel's fuel costs run as high as US$ 6 million per year, this can result in substantial cost savings and environmental impact.