Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore has completed a technical review confirming BAR Technologies’ calculation of available effective power generated by two 37.5-metre WindWings installed on tankers under the UML AeroPower LR2 programme.

The WindWings installations have a combined sail area of 760 square metres. According to Bureau Veritas, BAR Technologies’ computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology and resulting force matrix are consistent with International Maritime Organization guidance for innovative energy-efficiency technologies.

Following the review, the classification society concluded that the submission met all assessment requirements, including compliance with the CFD code specification, boundary conditions, grid independence, validation against experimental data, and the generation of installation-specific force matrices.

Bureau Veritas said the approval provides a class-reviewed calculation of wind-assisted propulsion power contribution without the need for extended full-scale testing.

WindWings technology is already in commercial service across the Union Maritime fleet, including on the AeroPower vessels Brands Hatch and SPA. Construction is also underway on the first 113,600-dwt vessel in the AeroPower newbuild programme at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry, with additional LR2 and MR2 tanker projects under development at shipyards in Asia.

John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies, said: “WindWings are already delivering in commercial service. What this approval does is formalise how that performance is assessed and recognised by class. Owners don’t need promises — they need certainty. A consistent, class-recognised methodology provides that certainty.”

Lauren Eatwell, Head of WindWings at BAR Technologies, commented: “As WindWings continue to be adopted in larger tanker programmes, consistency in performance validation becomes critical. This approval ensures that the engineering analysis behind each installation is assessed to recognised standards, supporting predictable integration across vessel series.”

Alex Gregg-Smith, President of Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas, stated: “Bureau Veritas’ review confirmed that BAR Technologies’ WindWings available effective wind power calculation for UML AeroPower LR2 tankers is consistent with IMO Circ.896 guidance for innovative energy-efficiency technologies. Our assessment examined the underlying modelling approach, validation processes and generation of installation-specific force matrices. Independent verification supports the consistent application of recognised technical standards and enables safe integration of wind-assisted propulsion systems within existing regulatory frameworks.”

The approval is expected to support wider adoption of wind propulsion systems as they are incorporated into tanker and bulker newbuild programmes.