Sea Trial for Sample Sail Completed Smoothly

After 5-day sea trial from Oct.20~24, the sail technology demonstration and application development project has ended sea trial smoothly with anticipated targets achieved, and returned home in triumph. The success in sail sea trial has fully proved that the proposal of wing sail is effective and sail assistance on larger ships is remarkably outstanding. In the general context of global energy saving and emission reduction, wind power resource will be popularized and applied on more ships as an important means for ship energy saving and emission reduction.

The real-ship test of sample sail was conducted on board of 300k DWT VLCC constructed by DSIC for China Merchants Steamship, where there were 50 participants in total for the sea trial, including CSIC technology and information department, China Merchants shipowners, CSIC No.702 Institute, CCS, and DSIC’s design, construction and sail fabrication units, etc.

To accomplish good results, DSIC has led a full preparation for sea trial, researching and drawing up the test procedure for sample sail sea trial reviewed and approved by experts, and programing the sail operation procedure, emergency operation contingency, test plan and safety review so as to furnish guarantee for smooth implementation of wind sail test.

This rea trial mainly includes the wind sail alarm points and control system test, demonstration test, maneuverability and propulsion assistance verification test (containing EEDI), etc. based on preliminary analysis of measured data on spot, the effect of propulsion assistance has complied with design anticipation. After this trial, a comprehensive analysis and evaluation on data collection will be conducted in accordance with the R&D task document so as to finalize the indicators assessment report for this project.

The wind sail technology demonstration and application development project is a major innovative project for DSIC to center on energy saving and emission reduction for their main shiptypes, for which, it is the first time to apply on the real VLCC in China. No matter the size of sample sail or the tonnage of the ship equipped is concerned, it is subject to be an innovative project to fill in gap domestic and abroad. Since the sample sail started fabricating on Sep.1, 2017, under the leadership of CSIC, DSIC has taken a lead in organizing the domestic top-class team to conduct a number of studies, demonstrations, calculations, tests, reviews and analysis from design of wing type, dynamic analysis to structure, hydraulic and electric design, further to various risk evaluation and drawing reviews, tackle a large number of technical difficulties one after another in the manufacturing workmanship, technical process and technological equipment for the sample sail, and accomplish the major milestones such as structural members fabrication, land-based test and sea trial, etc.