AiP for Michelin WISAMO, commercial testing begins

Michelin reports that its inflatable Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) system has been installed on the Compagnie Maritime Nantaise ro-ro container ship MN Pelican. The vessel is testing the inflatable system’s endurance and use on its weekly rotations between Bilbao, Spain and Poole, UK. Feedback generated by these tests will support the giant wing sail’s ongoing development.

WISAMO gained an Approval in Principle (AiP) from classification society DNV in February, the first AiP awarded to an inflatable wing sail design. DNV states that it granted the AiP based on its WAPS ST-0511 standard.

First introduced in 2021, the WISAMO sail is an inflatable, retractable, automated wing sail that can be installed on commercial vessels and pleasure boats. The Michelin-developed automation system allows the sail to be retracted when entering ports or travelling under bridges.

Initial tests of a WISAMO sail were carried out on a sailing yacht. The current installation of a 100 square metre system on the 155 metre long, 8,600 dwt ship Pelican will faciliate the system’s evaluation under commercial maritime navigation conditions.

Contribution to maritime decarbonisation

Gildas Quemeneur, initiative leader at Michelin, describes receiving the AiP as a “very important step forward the further development of this innovative solution to contribute to maritime transport decarbonisation.” Hasso Hoffmeister, senior principal engineer at DNV Maritime, adds that the maritime industry needs to “look to enabling technologies that can boost vessel performance, reduce fuel use and enhance sustainability” if they are to reach the “ambitious decarbonisation targets that have been set by regulators” and increasingly demanded by stakeholders. “We are very pleased to award Michelin this AiP and look forward to working with them as the project progresses.”