June 05, 2026
The International Windship Association (IWSA) announced that the latest installations of wind propulsion technology on large commercial vessels have pushed the global fleet of cargo ships capable of harnessing wind energy beyond the 100-vessel milestone, which marks a significant turning point in the uptake of wind propulsion in the commercial fleet.
After several years of renewed investment in technologies designed to capture the power of the wind at sea, deployment in the sector is accelerating, with the number of vessels roughly doubling year-on-year. The speed of the early market expansion underlines how quickly the technology is moving into the mainstream.
Currently, the tanker and bulker sectors lead the field in the number of ships with wind propulsion systems installed. At the time of writing, 37 Tankers and 24 Bulk Carriers were equipped with the technology, plus 24 RoRo and RoPax vessels combined and 19 General Cargo ships.
As the sole industry association representing wind-assist and primary wind propulsion technology developers and institutions supporting the adoption of wind energy in shipping, the International Windship Association (IWSA) welcomed this growing momentum in installations.
Source: IWSA