Association Wind Ship
Wind Ship
Wind Ship a pour finalité d'accélérer la transition énergétique dans le transport maritime grâce au développement et déploiement de la propulsion des navires par le vent.
ID: 863342137913-59
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament)
23 Sept 2025 · SEARICA / ITRE
Response to Sustainable transport investment plan
2 Sept 2025
Please find enclosed the contribution of the Association Wind Ship, a French association created in 2019 to accelerate, through its actions, the transition to cleaner and decarbonized maritime transport by developing and deploying wind-powered ship propulsion.
Read full responseResponse to EU industrial maritime strategy
27 Jul 2025
Please find attached the feedback of the French Association Wind Ship (https://www.wind-ship.fr), a French association created in 2019 to accelerate, through its actions, the transition to cleaner and decarbonized maritime transport by developing and deploying wind-powered ship propulsion. Today, it brings together more than 70 companies across the entire value chain of wind-powered maritime transport. Wind Ship works to position wind-powered solutions as a major and already available way to decarbonize commercial navigation. Wind Ship is part of the International Windship Association network, which includes 180 members and supporters and represents the wind-powered sector internationally.
Read full responseResponse to Delegated act on primarily used components under the Net-Zero Industry Act
20 Feb 2025
The Wind Ship association brings together 55 stakeholders in wind-powered propulsion for ships in France, including shipowners, equipment manufacturers, engineering firms, naval architects, and shipyards. The association also gathers investors and wind propulsion supply chain companies and serves as the Europe-Atlantic hub of the International Windship Association. It wishes to share its contribution as part of the consultation initiated by the European Commission regarding the amending project of the Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the identification of sub-categories within net-zero technologies and the list of specific components used for those technologies (please see enclosed document). 8 wind propulsion technologies are currently being developed, produced and integrated on ships by European suppliers. These final products designed to propel ships are subject to high expectations in terms of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic performance. Some of them are therefore made up of specific components, primarily used for wind ship propulsion as defined by Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Considering these elements, Wind Ship is asking the European Commission to extend the previously established list to include the technologies concerned in a complete list as follow : Flettner rotor, Suction wing, Flexible textile sail, Rigid paneled sail and associated rig, inflatable wing, rigid and semi-rigid wing, multi-elements wing and kite. The 14 essential components for wind propulsion technologies to be considered primarily used are listed in the enclosed document, including justifications and relevant references. We thank the European Commission for taking our proposals into consideration.
Read full responseResponse to The European Oceans Pact
11 Feb 2025
The Wind Ship association, which brings together stakeholders in wind-powered propulsion for ships in France and serves as a discussion hub for Europe-Atlantic, wishes to express its interest in establishing a reference framework to enhance the coherence of the various strategies promoted by the European Union regarding the ocean. Currently, these strategies and their associated instruments do not systematically or equitably integrate wind propulsion for ships in a consolidated manner, despite the fact that it represents a unique opportunity for the European Union in terms of ocean protection and associated economic stimulation. Wind Ship, which has developed a white paper dedicated to wind propulsion for ships (attached), supports the development of cleaner, decarbonized, and lower-impact navigation through the use of wind energy to partially or fully propel ships. Indeed, ships play a crucial role in commerce, tourism, food supply, research, and, more broadly, the blue economy for the European Union. Harnessing wind energy to propel this indispensable toolthe shippresents numerous ecological, societal, financial, and industrial benefits while allowing the EU to strengthen its competitiveness and its role in ocean protection. In fact, using wind energy for ship propulsion enables, among other benefits: [Decarbonization] A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. [Maritime Pollution] A decrease in atmospheric pollutants, a reduction in the risk of marine pollution (spills of harmful substances and underwater radiated noise). [European Socio-Economic Resilience] Strengthening the independence and sovereignty of the European fleet, which is essential for meeting the daily needs of the European population: - Wind propulsion reduces the maritime sectors energy demands by using a renewable, free, and abundant energy source, whose intermittency can be mitigated through the use of any clean fuel. - Using wind energy at sea does not compete with any other usage; rather, it increases the availability of future zero-emission fuels for aviation and land transport. - During extreme climate events, wind-powered ships can access geographical areas where infrastructure has been destroyed and fuel supplies are unavailable. [Fishing, Transport, Observation, Tourism] The ability to serve all fleet segments, including maritime transport, tourism, ocean research and observation, fishing, and military fleets (wind propulsion is already being used in each of these sectors). [Industry and the Blue Economy] Positioning the European Union as a global leader in designing and producing net-zero emission technologies for ship propulsion, generating significant added value for European equipment manufacturers, shipyards, and shipowners. [Ports, Social Aspects, and Coastal Communities] Offering working conditions on ships that align with the aspirations of a new generation of Europeanswhether in fishing, oceanographic research, or maritime transportby reviving a sustainable mode of propulsion adaptable to various uses. This would also allow smaller vessels to directly access secondary ports, revitalizing the local economic fabric. We call for the European Ocean Pact to establish a reference framework that integrates both protection and economic aspects of this vital environment for Europeans, while considering existing solutions that remain underutilized at the European level. To achieve this, we believe it is essential to have governance that includes field actors such as our association, Wind Ship, and we wish to take part in this initiative.
Read full responseMeeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament)
13 Dec 2024 · SEARICA/ITRE
Meeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament)
28 Nov 2023 · Propulsion vélique
Meeting with Pierre Karleskind (Member of the European Parliament)
17 Oct 2022 · Décrbonation du transport maritime
Response to FuelEU Maritime
23 Apr 2020
The International WindShip Association (IWSA) and the French Association Wind Ship (APTMD-IWSA) are pleased to present a joint submission to comment on this EC initiative.
Although this initiative seems really relevant, we are concerned about the absence of an important source of renewable energy and of the technologies which allow it to be exploited: WIND.
The oversight of wind energy from the list of tomorrow’s alternative fuels would be counterproductive with regard to the objectives of this future directive and to the EU’s climate ambitions (please have a look at the different points set out below and developed in the attached feedback).
We therefore ask for wind and wind propulsion technologies to be cited and incorporated into the draft directive in the same way as other sustainable alternative fuels.
1. Wind energy is an abundant renewable, zero emissions energy source delivered free of charge to the point of use onboard the ship without any additional infrastructure.
2. Wind propulsion solutions are significant propulsion providers, not fuel efficiency measures and the cost of this energy is fixed at zero for the lifetime of the vessel.
3. Wind propulsion technologies (WPT) are available in the market today along with a significant pipeline of viable and certified systems in late R&D and pre-market stages.
4. Direct wind propulsion is still regularly excluded or not adequately incorporated into decarbonisation pathways due either to the lack of information or exclusive focus on longer-term alternative fuel options.
5. Wind propulsion systems can be installed as retrofits or on optimised new build vessels.
6. As retrofits, WPT’s can deliver between 5-20% fuel and associated emissions savings (with no change in vessel operational profiles), with the potential to reach 30%.
7. WPT systems integrated into optimised new builds offer substantially higher savings with designs that offer well above 50% savings. The primary wind propulsion vessels with auxiliary engines are options for various sizes and designs of vessels.
8. All fuel and emissions savings are calculated using motor vessel operational profiles, but savings can be optimised by using weather routing, speed changes etc. and there is potential for supplementary onboard zero carbon fuel generation adding further fuel autonomy.
9. The uptake of expensive alternative and low carbon fuels will be accelerated if the requirement for those fuels is reduced by up to 30% (or beyond) thus reducing the total amount of fuel required, but also reducing the storage space and potentially the installed or operational power requirement of the vessel.
10. Major shipping companies are already involved in WPT projects including; Mitsui OSK lines, Maersk Tankers, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, K-lines, Oldendorff, Viking lines & Scandlines, Vale etc. along with shipbuilders DCIS, Oshima Shipyards and non-shipping companies: Renault group, Airbus, the European Space Agency, Drax etc.
11. More than 15 start-ups and SME but also major companies such as Chantiers de l'Atlantique are developing WPT in France, for example, supported by large industrial groups such as Renault, or Airbus.
12. All major class societies have published or are in the process of developing wind-assist guidelines including Bureau Veritas, Lloyds Register, ABS, ClassNK and DNVGL
13. UK Govt Clean Maritime Plan (July 2019) - global market projection for wind propulsion systems estimated it to grow from a conservative £300 million per year in the 2020s to around £2 billion per year by the 2050s worldwide.
14. EU market analysis (2016/17) forecast up to 10,700 installed systems until 2030 on bulk carriers, tankers and container vessels, equivalent to savings of up to 7.5 Mt CO2 in 2030.
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