Oceanbird completes installation and successful sea trial of its first onboard prototype

Oceanbird, the joint venture created by Alfa Laval and Wallenius Lines, has reached another milestone in its mission to advance wind propulsion for the shipping industry. The company recently completed the installation of Wing560 - a 40-metre tall, 14-metre wide wing sail - on Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s 230-metre car carrier, Tirranna. This marks Oceanbird’s first onboard prototype, signifying not only a tangible entry into the market but also the opening of the car carrier segment to wind propulsion, enabled by Oceanbird’s unique and stringent safety features and redundancies.

With successful installation and sea trial, Oceanbird has moved from vision to reality, and we are proud to be part of this journey. We deeply appreciate the Oceanbird team’s commitment and innovation that have made this achievement possible. It is rewarding to collaborate on technology that supports the energy transition through wind energy technology. We look forward to the next deliveries and to continuing this journey together", says Martijn Bergink, President of the Ocean Division, Alfa Laval.

In the first week of June, the design of Wing560 received a design certificate from DNV (Det Norske Veritas), a leading international classification society, verifying the class society’s approval on safety, regulatory compliance and that Wing560 meets the applicable technical requirements for Tirranna.

On 1 July 2026, the Wing560 installed on Tirranna passed HAT (Harbour Acceptance Test) and SAT (Sea Acceptance Test), which are critical phases to ensure the system’s performance and reliability before full operational deployment.

Read more at theOceanbird.com

Image courtesy of Oceanbird