Commercial fishing & work boats
Many commercial fishing vessels are capable of carrying an auxiliary sail but choose not to. This is a financial decision based on the return or lack thereof on investment. The outlay required compared to not only the amount of fuel saved but also the time and effort required to set and trim a sail does not justify its installation and management. The Aquaforce wingsail means that at the touch of a button the wing will come into play, catching the benefits of any wind at the time. This will supply ancillary horse power while concurrently reducing vessel roll. The net effect of this is to make gains in fuel performance and reduce deck movement, creating a safer working environment. When in stability mode the wing will actively work through continuous 360 degree rotations as dictated by a combined wind/inclinometer feed to minimise roll as the vessel works around its gear. When transiting to and from fishing grounds any benefits to be had from wind strength and direction would be optimized by these same feeds to maximise fuel reduction. Aquaforce is currently undertaking research with Australian universities to calculate the savings that can be generated through the use of wing sails.
Shipping Industry
In recent years the world shipping industry has been pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into researching how to deploy and lower wings on ships. There are now over 50 ships around the world using wingsails and the number is growing rapidly. Aquaforce is currently researching wing sail shapes for shipping and other large vessels that are capable of withstanding the harshest weather. This means that not only can the wing supply the most efficient power for the least amount of surface area, thus reducing wing manufacturing costs to a minimum but concurrently improving ship stability by counteracting vessel roll in big seas.
Defence
Anti-submarine warfare is becoming a critical component of sovereign defence systems. The ability to reduce surface vessel noise to an absolute minimum is a critical component of this. Surface vessel stealth is key to submarine surveillance. Our wing system means a vessel can sail with no engine noise while still producing good speed in any wind strength. Wings will become a must have in this realm. Because the wing system is a stand-alone operation with its own software, integrating it with unmanned vessels requires a simple communications link and a small power source. Because the Aquaforce wing sail is superbly efficient minimal power input is required for maximum performance.