The Dutch shipping line and the also Dutch tech company have extended their co-op to install more of the latter's wind-assist VentiFoil units on the former's vessels.
The new deal adds to the retrofitting of two VentiFoils on Vertom's Anna, to be installed in June 2022, with the general cargo ships Progress and Perfect also receiving their wind-assistance systems (by 2022-end).
"Vertom recognized the momentum for partnerships with a clear focus on decarbonizing our business activities and supply chain. After closely considering the business case of the VentiFoil units, we are pleased to extend our collaboration with Econowind with another order for two vessels," Thomas van Meerkerk, Vertom Group's Management Consultant Innovation & Technology, commented.
Rolf van Leeuwen, Senior Technical Superintendent of Vertom, added, "Installing the VentiFoils is a big step forward in reducing (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption for our current fleet. It is, along with our upcoming newbuilding program, a good step towards reducing our carbon footprint."
Frank Nieuwenhuis, CEO of Econowind, also highlighted, "We are delighted to add Vertom to our customer base and to make this next step in making shipping more sustainable together. The more installations we can retrofit, the more data we can attain and learn from. This provides us with solid proof of how wind assisted ship propulsion is reducing emissions per nautical mile and improving vessels their EEXI/EEDI [Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index/Energy Efficiency Design Index]. This also serves as a justification for the investment; the costs of systems can be covered by the savings."
Photo: Econowind