WISAMO: Ship to test Michelin’s inflatable sail

If you weren’t aware that Michelin has developed a system of sails for larger boats and ships, then you’re not alone. But it has indeed, and presented an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing sail system that can be fitted on both merchant ships and pleasure craft at the 2021 Movin’On event. The Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) system results from a collaborative venture between Michelin Research & Development and two Swiss inventors. Ship owner and manager Compagnie Maritime Nantaise (MN) is installing WISAMO on a ConRo vessel and intends to sail it between Spain and the UK from the end of this year.

Michelin and MN recently signed a partnership deal to test the pioneering solution on a first merchant ship. A wing prototype with a 100 square metre surface area will thus be installed on MN’s container ship MN Pélican. If the trials deliver the hoped-for results, the partnership deal could open the door to trials using a larger wing sail.

MN Pélican, chartered by MN’s Brittany Ferries since 2016, operates two weekly rotations between Poole and the Spanish port of Bilbao. The ro-ro container ship will be equipped with the WISAMO wing sail system in the second half of 2022.

Second test phase from February

Technical tests using a 100 square metre wing prototype are also being conducted on the boat of French sailor Michel Desjoyeaux. A number of evaluations and measures were carried out between June and December 2021 on Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, and Michelin says the outcome of these was “highly positive.”

Bolstered by these results, WISAMO is to enter a second phase of more extensive tests with winter maritime conditions in the Bay of Biscay. The sailboat, which will be heading towards Royan, will begin its journey at the end of February 2022.

Decarbonising marine transport

The WISAMO project features an inflatable, retractable, automated wing sail that can be fixed on large and small vessels and uses free, unlimited wind propulsion. Michelin describes the design of the inflatable wing sail “revolutionary” and emphasises that it will help reduce fuel consumption, reducing CO2 emissions for a positive environmental impact.

The solution designed and developed by the WISAMO project team can be affixed to most commercial vessels and pleasure boats but is said to be particularly suited to ro-ro vessels, bulk carriers, gas carriers and tankers. WISAMO can be installed during the ship’s design phase as part of the original equipment, or else fit retrospectively on an existing, already operational ship.

The wing sail system offers a wide range of use, including ‘close-hauled’ (headwind), providing one of the widest operating ranges in the market. Usable on all maritime routes, it is retractable for easy access into ports and under bridges. According to Michelin, it will help save up to 20 per cent fuel per ship.

Prior to unveiling WISAMO, Michelin signed a transport commitment with French sustainable shipping firm Neoline. The plan is to transport Michelin tyres by sail between Halifax, Canada and Saint-Nazaire, France from 2023.