Orcelle Wind is the first ship in the Oceanbird concept for primarily wind powered vessels.
The concept shows that it is theoretically possible to reduce ship emissions by up to 90% if all factors influencing emissions are aligned.
It is the Orcelle Wind, the first deep-water Roll On, Roll Off (RoRo) vessel scheduled to start sailing in late 2026 or early 2027.
Recently Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a RoRo (RoRo) shipping company, and project partners have obtained funding from Horizon Europe (the European Union's key funding program for research and innovation) for a total of nine million euros to support the construction of the sailboat.
It is a wind-powered Pure Car Truck Carrier vessel that will be 220 meters long and have a capacity for more than seven thousand cars, but it will also be capable of transporting break-bulk cargo and rolling equipment.
Orcelle Wind is a crucial part of Wallenius Wilhelmsen's fleet decarbonisation strategy.
Thanks to the financing it has received, over the next five years all aspects of the planning, construction and operation of the vessel will be carried out.
The following are the partners in the financing program:
Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Project Coordinator, a global RoRo (RoRo) shipping company from Norway.
Wallenius Marine, a ship design and management company in Sweden.
AlfaWall Oceanbird, a 50/50 joint venture of Alfa Laval and Wallenius specializing in the development of technology for wind-powered ship propulsion.
Volvo Cars, one of the world's best-known and most respected automobile brands.
StormGeo, a world leading weather forecast service provider.
Maritime CleanTech, an organization representing the Norwegian Maritime Cluster, which focuses on sustainable innovation projects with commercial potential.
DNV, an accredited international registration and classification society based in Norway.
RISE Maritime, a Swedish company that is part of the Swedish Research Institutes, develops solutions for a sustainable and resilient maritime industry.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the largest technical university in Sweden.
UGent, a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium.
NTUA, an engineering university in Athens, Greece.