Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) and Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore (BVS) have announced their participation in Wind for Shipping (W4S), a European R&D initiative funded by the Interreg North-West Europe programme.
Launched in January 2025 and running through July 2028, the project brings together 12 partners — including shipyards, shipping companies, research institutions, and regional authorities — from across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France, with the shared goal of accelerating the maritime sector’s transition toward low-emission shipping.
W4S focuses on the development, scaling, and adoption of wind propulsion technologies —specifically rotor sails and wingsails. These systems harness have the potential to reduce fuel consumption by an estimated 20% to 40%, significantly cutting GHG emissions from commercial vessels. The project’s total budget is €5.7m, of which €3.4m is co-financed by the EU.
The initiative plays a key role in supporting European climate ambitions by addressing some of the main barriers to the commercial deployment of wind-assisted propulsion. It seeks to lower production costs, optimise manufacturing processes, and strengthen the entire value chain, from design and production to installation and operation. The project aims to strengthen regional maritime innovation ecosystems by fostering collaboration among coastal regions. By aligning research, production, and logistics capacities, W4S will contribute to building Europe’s position as a Maritime Centre of Excellence for Green Shipping.
BV and BVS will bring to the project their technical expertise in performance assessment. Specifically, BVS will provide CFD and weather routing calculations as well as project customized on-board measurement data. BV, through hydro-structure and energy efficiency simulations, will develop modelling methodologies to evaluate the intrinsic performance of wind propulsion technologies and their effect on the performance of the vessel. In addition, BV will support the project’s exploration of composite manufacturing processes to enable large-scale production of wind propulsion systems, a crucial step in making these solutions viable for widespread commercial use.
Matthieu de Tugny, BV EVP, said: “By contributing to Wind for Shipping, we reinforce our commitment to the maritime energy transition and to enabling the safe, effective deployment of sustainable technologies across the industry. This collaboration is another example of how Bureau Veritas is actively supporting innovation while upholding the highest standards of safety, reliability, and environmental stewardship.”
Robbert van Hasselt, W4S project leader, added: “Upscaling rotors and sails in both size and number marks a decisive step toward making wind-assisted ship propulsion economically viable. By combining technical innovation with scalable solutions, we aim to accelerate the green transition in maritime transport and make wind a central force in sustainable shipping.”
Image: Wind assisted propulsion (source: Bureau Veritas)
