Brands Hatch, believed to be the world’s first wind-assisted long-range 2 (LR2) tanker, has been named in China.
The naming ceremony took place at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) yard on June 11, 2025.
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Today, we celebrated the naming ceremony of the BRANDS HATCH – the world's first wind-assisted LR2 built for UML. This pioneering vessel redefines sustainable shipping by merging wind power with cutting-edge technology, proving that green energy integration the future. pic.twitter.com/QN4BiKWUer
“This pioneering vessel redefines sustainable shipping by merging wind power with cutting-edge technology,” SWS, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), said on social media.
Built for the UK-based tanker owner and operator Union Maritime (UML), the newbuilding is the first in a series of fourteen tankers equipped with wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) developed by BAR Technologies and manufactured by CM Energy Tech (CMET).
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The tanker features three 37.5-meter WindWings, a three-element rigid wind system developed by BAR Technologies.
The wind propulsion solution is projected to reduce the vessel’s fuel consumption by approximately 1,200 tonnes annually, equating to a reduction of over 3,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, as per Union Maritime.
In related news, Union Maritime joined forces with BAR Technologies a year ago to deploy wind-assisted propulsion solutions on a total of 34 newbuilds.
The newbuilds include fourteen long-range 2 (LR2), twelve chemical and eight medium-range (MR) tankers.
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The rigid sail technology is expected to deliver average daily savings of 1.5 tonnes of fuel per wing and 6 tonnes of CO2 per wing on typical global routes.
Union Maritime, which has a fleet of more than 100 vessels, is also collaborating with Finnish wind-assisted propulsion specialist Norsepower for rotor sails on smaller vessels.