Enhancing wind propulsion performance through human-centred design and bridge simulations

As the maritime sector pushes toward greener solutions, wind-assisted propulsion has emerged as a promising way to cut emissions and boost fuel efficiency.

Getting the full benefit of wind propulsion requires that the crew is fully supported with well-designed systems to perform their tasks. After all, if the crew is unable to operate the system effectively, the overall ship performance will be far from optimal.

This work is part of Optiwise, a three-year Horizon Europe project focused on developing holistic design and control strategies for wind-assisted vessels. As part of the project, bridge simulations were used to explore how wind propulsion affects onboard operations.