Orcelle Horizon is a flagship innovation project preparing the ground for wind as the primary propulsion source in deep-sea shipping.

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At the heart of the project lies a bold ambition: to enable a new generation of large RoRo vessels where wind provides more than 50 percent of total propulsion energy. The goal is to drastically reduce fuel consumption and emissions while maintaining operational flexibility and commercial viability.

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To achieve this, the project brings together advanced simulation tools, digital platforms, control systems, and vessel design with real-world operational experience from a wing system.

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Enabling wind as main propulsion

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A key achievement of Orcelle Horizon is the full-scale wind propulsion demonstrator on board Tirranna, a vessel in Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s global fleet. This one-wing retrofit, targeting 10 percent energy efficiencygains, is equipped with a comprehensive sensor suite and control system. It serves as a testbed for validating wing performance, automation, safety procedures, and dynamic weather routing strategies under real operatingconditions across global trade routes.

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The knowledge and data generated through this demonstration directly inform theongoing development of Orcelle Wind, a multi-wing newbuild vessel design. The Orcelle Horizon project will deliver a complete, class-compliant design. This includes simulation-based performance validation, risk mitigation measures, and operational modelling.

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A comprehensive approach to maritime decarbonization

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Beyond the retrofit and design work, Orcelle Horizon is developing conceptualwind-powered designs and operational strategies for other vessel types including tankers, bulkers, shortsea ships, ferries, and container vessels.These concepts will enable replication and scale-up, supporting a future in which wind propulsion plays a primary role across more than 80 percent of theglobal fleet.

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By supporting Orcelle Horizon, the EU is investing in a concrete, scalable, and high-impact solution that delivers deep emission cuts, innovation capacity, and commercial readiness for a cleaner maritime future.

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