In the modern era of global commerce, where massive steel vessels the size of skyscrapers traverse the oceans powered by gargantuan diesel engines, the suggestion that sails could be the key to decarbonization often meets with a degree of skepticism. To the uninitiated, it sounds like a regression—a step back into the 19th century that ignores the sheer scale and speed required by 21st-century supply chains. We have spent the better part of the last hundred years systematically removing wind from the equation, replacing it with the reliability of internal combustion and building ever-larger ships to move the vast majority of the world’s goods. Yet, as the maritime industry faces an existential pressure to reduce its massive carbon footprint, the future is beginning to look remarkably like a high-tech reimagining of its past.
This perspective is at the heart of the mission led by Emmanuel Schalit, the CEO of OceanWings. In a recent discussion regarding the future of the industry, Schalit presented a compelling case that the wind is not an antiquated relic of the past, but rather an untapped, free, and inexhaustible source of energy that modern technology is finally ready to harness at scale. For Schalit, the connection to the sea is deeply personal, rooted in a lifetime spent navigating the waves. He began sailing at the age of five in Brittany, France, and has since traversed waters ranging from the northern tip of Scotland to the sun-drenched Greek islands. This lifelong intimacy with the ocean has provided him with a visceral understanding of the immense power available to those who know how to capture it.
However, Schalit is quick to clarify that the vision OceanWings is pursuing does not involve a return to wooden hulls and canvas sheets managed by sailors climbing rigging in a gale. Modern wind propulsion is a fundamentally different discipline. It utilizes massive, automated rigid wings that function more like the wings of an aircraft stood on end than traditional sails. These structures are controlled by sophisticated sensors and software that adjust their position in real-time to optimize thrust based on wind speed and direction. Crucially, these systems are designed to work in tandem with a ship’s existing propulsion, creating a sophisticated hybrid model that bridges the gap between traditional fossil fuels and the green fuels of the future.
The concept of the hybrid vessel is central to Schalit’s strategy. He draws a historical parallel to the transitional era of the late 19th century, when steamships were frequently equipped with masts and sails as a backup and a supplement to their early engines. In the current global economy, where speed and schedule reliability are non-negotiable, wind cannot yet replace engines entirely. Instead, OceanWings provides a significant portion of the required propulsion through wind, while the remainder is supplied by an engine. Today, that engine likely runs on diesel, but in the coming years, it could be powered by green hydrogen, methanol, ammonia, or even batteries.
The beauty of this approach lies in its mathematical simplicity: regardless of the fuel being used, the goal is to use less of it. While the shipping industry remains locked in a complex debate over which "fuel of the future" will ultimately win out—hydrogen, ammonia, and LNG all have their proponents and infrastructure challenges—wind propulsion offers an immediate, "fuel-agnostic" advantage. By reducing the total energy demand of the vessel, wind technology makes the transition to more expensive, less energy-dense alternative fuels more economically viable.
One of the most pressing challenges in maritime decarbonization is the sheer longevity of the global fleet. There are approximately 100,000 commercial ships currently in operation, and these vessels typically remain in service for 25 to 30 years. Schalit points out that if the industry were to rely solely on new builds to introduce green technology, the pace of change would be far too slow to meet international climate targets. He noted that waiting for the entire fleet to be rebuilt would likely take longer than the remaining careers of most current industry leaders.
To address this, OceanWings has focused heavily on the ability to retrofit existing vessels. Large segments of the industry, including tankers, bulkers, and LNG carriers, are prime candidates for these upgrades. By installing automated wings on ships that are already mid-way through their operational lives, the industry can achieve immediate and significant reductions in emissions without waiting for a total fleet turnover. This ability to "green" the existing fleet is perhaps the most practical tool currently available for hitting mid-term carbon reduction goals.
When the conversation shifts to the environmental impact, the numbers become difficult to ignore. Schalit explains the "carbon maths" with a clarity that strips away the romanticism of sailing and replaces it with cold, hard logic. In the shipping industry, emissions are often measured on a "well-to-wake" basis, which accounts for the entire lifecycle of the fuel, from extraction and refining to combustion at sea. Under this metric, one tonne of heavy fuel oil is equivalent to roughly four tonnes of CO2. Consequently, every tonne of fuel saved by a wing sail prevents four tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
The impact of a single wing sail is substantial. According to Schalit, one wing can save approximately 1.3 tonnes of fuel per day, which equates to about five tonnes of CO2 daily. When considering an average commercial vessel that sails roughly 200 days per year, a single wing sail can reduce carbon emissions by 1,000 tonnes annually. Given that many large ships could accommodate multiple wings, the cumulative savings for a single vessel are enormous.
Over the lifespan of the technology, the environmental return on investment is even more striking. OceanWings designs its systems for a minimum durability of 25 years. This means that a single wing sail has the potential to save 25,000 tonnes of CO2 over its operational life. This long-term perspective is vital for ship owners who are looking for stable, long-term solutions to tightening environmental regulations.
Naturally, any discussion about green technology must address the carbon footprint of the technology itself. Schalit is transparent about the "scope one, two, and three" emissions involved in the manufacturing process. He estimates that it costs approximately 500 tonnes of CO2 to manufacture, transport, and install one of these massive wing systems. However, when weighed against the 25,000 tonnes of CO2 the system is expected to save, the trade-off is clear. The technology pays back its "carbon debt" in a fraction of its lifespan, resulting in a net benefit that Schalit describes as a source of daily motivation for his team.
Ultimately, however, the adoption of wind propulsion will not be driven by environmental altruism alone. Shipping is a notoriously low-margin, high-competition business. For a technology to scale across the global fleet, it must make commercial sense. Schalit is under no illusions about this reality, stating flatly that while their mission is to reduce emissions, the actual product they sell to ship owners is "payback."
The economic argument for wind sails is tied directly to the volatility and rising cost of fuel. As carbon taxes increase and the industry shifts toward more expensive low-carbon fuels, the financial incentive to reduce fuel consumption grows. The "payback period"—the time it takes for the fuel savings to cover the initial cost of the wing installation—becomes shorter as fuel prices rise. In this sense, wind propulsion acts as a hedge against energy price fluctuations. Once the system is installed, the "fuel" it provides—the wind—is free and immune to geopolitical instability or market shifts.
This commercial logic is what Schalit believes will move wind propulsion from a niche interest or a series of pilot projects into the mainstream of global shipping. As the regulatory environment tightens, particularly with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) increasingly ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reductions, the pressure on shipping companies to find efficient solutions will only intensify.
The transition back to wind, powered by 21st-century engineering, represents a full-circle moment for the maritime world. It is a fusion of ancient wisdom and modern computational power. By combining the natural force that first allowed humans to explore the globe with the automated precision of modern aerospace technology, companies like OceanWings are charting a course toward a more sustainable form of global trade.
While the sight of a massive oil tanker or container ship equipped with towering rigid wings may still look unusual to some, it may soon become a common sight on the horizon. If the maritime industry is to meet its decarbonization challenges, it cannot afford to ignore the energy that has been blowing across the surface of the oceans for millennia. As Schalit’s experience suggests, the wind has always been there; we simply needed to rediscover how to use it.
